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JOURNAL
f
OF A VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY OF A
NORTH-WEST PASSAGE
FROM THE ATLANTIC TO THE PACIFIC;
PERFORMED IN THE YEARS 1819—20,
IN HIS MAJESTY'S SHIPS
HECLA AND GRIPER,
UNDER THE ORDERS OF
SVC WILLIAM EDWARD PARRY, R.N., F.R.S.,
AND COMMANDER OF THE EXPEDITION.
WITH AN APPENDIX, CONTAINING THE SCIENTIFIC
AND OTHER OBSERVATIONS.
PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY OF THE LORDS COMMISSIONERS
OF THE ADMIRALTY.
LONDON
JOHN MURRAY,
PUBLISHER TO THE ADMIRALTY, AND BOARD OF LONGITUDE
MDCCCXXI.
JOURNAL
?
OF A VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY OF A
NORTH-WEST PASSAGE
FROM THE ATLANTIC TO THE PACIFIC:
PERFORMED IN THE YEARS 1819—20,
IN HIS MAJESTY'S SHIPS
S
HECLA AND GRIPER,
UNDER THE ORDERS OF
S^f WILLIAM EDWARD PARRY, R.N., F.R.S.
AyO COMMANDER OF THE EXPEDITION.
WITH AN APPENDIX, CONTAINING THE SCIENTIFIC
AND OTHER OBSERVATIONS.
PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY OF THE LORDS COMMISSIONERS
OF THE ADMIRALTY.
LONDON
JOHN MURRAY,
PUBLISHER TO THE ADMIRALTY, AND BOARD OF LONGITUDE
MDCCCXXI.
3'
^\^
\^>
^373
LONDON :
PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES,
Xorthuuiberland-court.
To
THE RIGHT HONOURABLE THE
LORD VISCOUNT MELVILLE,
'""hIg'h ADMrr'n';'""*^^ ™" KXECUTING THE OFFICE OP LORD
HIGH ADMIRAL OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND, 4c. .tc 4c
THIS VOLUME,
CONTAINING
THE JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE
FROM THE ATLANTIC TO THE PACIFIC,
UNDERTAKEN AND EXECUTED UNDER THE AUSPICES OP HIS LORDSHIP.
IS INSCRIBED,
WITH DUE RESPECT AND GRATITUDE,
BY HIS OBLIGED AND FAITHFUL SERVANT.
WILLIAM EDWARD PARRY.
London, May, 1821.
CONTENTS.
Introduction
Official Instructions
CHAPTER I.
Passage across the Atlantic — Enter Davis* Strait — Unsuccessful attempt to penetrate the ice
to the Western Coast — Voyage up the Strait — Passage through the Ice to the Western
Coast — Arrival off Possession Bay, on the Southern side of the entrance into Sir James
Lancaster's Sound ......... 1
CHAPTER II.
Entrance into Sir James Lancaster's Sound of Baffin— Uninterrupted Passage to the Westward
—Discovery and Examination of Prince Regent's Inlet — Progress to the Southward
stopped by Ice — Return to the Northward — Pass Barrow's Strait — and enter the Polar
Sea ........... 29
CHAPTER III.
Favourable appearances of an Open Westerly Passage — Land to the Northward, a Series ol
Islands — General Appearance of them — Meet with some obstruction from low Islands sur-
rounded with Ice — Remains of Esquimaux Huts, and Natural Productions of Byam
Martin Island — Tedious Navigation from Fogs and Ice — Difficulty of Steering a Proper
Course — Arrival and Landing on Melville Island — Proceed to the Westward, and reach
the Meridian of 110° W. Longitude, the First Stage in the Scale of Rewards granted by
Act of Parliament . . . . . , . . .53
CHAPTER IV.
Further Examination of Melville Island — Continuation of our Progress to the Westward — Long
Detention by the Ice— Party sent on Shore to hunt Deer and Musk-Oxen— Return in
Three Days, after losing their way — Anxiety on their account-^Proceed to the Westward,
till finally stopped by the Ice — In returning to the Eastward the Griper forced on the
beach by the Ice — Search for, and discovery of, a Winter Harbour on Melville Island —
Operations for securing the Ships in their Winter Quarters . . . .75
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER V.
PAGE
Precautions for securing the Ships and Stores — for promoting Good Order, Cleanliness,
Health, and Good-humour, among the Ships' Companies — Establishment of a Theatre,
and of the North Georgia Gazette — Erection of an Observatory on Shore — Commence our
Winter's Amusements — State of the Temperature and various Meteorological Phenomena
— Miscellaneous Occurrences to the close of the Year 1819 .... 101
CHAPTER VI.
First Appearance of Scurvy — The Aurora Borealis and other Meteorological Phenomena —
Visits of the Wolves — Re-appearance of the Sun — Extreme low Temperature — Destruc-
tion of the House on Shore by Fire — Severe Frost-bites occasioned by this Accident . 131
CHAPTER Vn.
More temperate Weather — House re-built — Quantity of Ice collected on the Hecla's lower
Deck — Meteorological Phenomena — Conclusion of Theatrical Entertainments — Increased
Sickness on board the Griper — Clothes first dried in the open Air — Remarkable Halos
and Parhelia — Snow-Blindness — Cutting the Ice round the Ships, and other Occurrences
to the Close of May . . . . . . . . .151
CHAPTER Vni.
Journey across Melville Island to the Northern Shore, and Return to the Ships by a different
Route . . . . . . . . . . .181
CHAPTER IX.
Occurrences at Winter Harbour in the early Part of Jhine^Gradual Dissolution of the Ice upon
the Sea, and of the Snow upon the Land — Hunting Parties sent out to procure Game —
Decease and Burial of William Scott — Equipment of the Ships completed — Temperate
Weather during the Month of July — Breaking up of the Ice near the Ships — Move to the
lower Part of the Harbour — Separation of the Ice at the Entrance — Prepare to sail —
Abstract of Observations made in Winter Harbour . . . . . 206
CHAPTER X.
Leave Winter Harbour — Flattering appearance of the Sea to the Westward — Stopped by the
Ice near Cape Hay — Further Progress to the Longitude of 113° 48' 22". 5, being the
Westernmost Meridian hitherto reached in the Polar Sea, to the North of America — Banks's
Land Discovered — Increased extent and dimensions of the Ice — Return to the East-
ward, to endeavour to penetrate the Ice to the Southward — Discovery of several Islands —
Re-enter Barrow's Strait, and survey its South Coast — Pass through Sir James Lan-
caster's Sound, on our Return to England ...... 228
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XL
PAGE
Progress down the Western Coast of Baffin's Bay — Meet with tlie Whalers — Account of some
Esquimaux in the Inlet called the River Clyde — Continue the survey of the Coast, till
stopped by Ice in the Latitude of 68|° — Obliged to run to the Eastward — Fruitless
attempts to regain the land, and final Departure from the Ice — Remarks upon the pro-
bable existence and practicability of a Nopth-West Passage, and upon the Whale-
Fishery — Boisterous Weather in crossing the Atlantic — Loss of the Hecla's Bowsprit and
Foremast — Arrival in England. . . , . , . . .271
APPENDIX.
I. An Account of the going of the Chronometers of the Hecla and Griper
II. Lunar Observations ........
III. Observations to determine the Latitude and the Longitude by Chronometers
IV. Abstract of Observations on the Dip of the Horizon at Sea, with Doctor Woliaston
Dip Sector, in 1819 and 1820 ......
V. Magnetic Observations . . .
V'l. Table of Days' Works kept on board the Hecla
VII. Tide Table in Winter Harbour, Melville Island . ....
VIII. An Account of Experiments to determine the Acceleration of the Pendulum in dif
ferent Latitudes ........
IX. Remarks on the State of Health and Disease on board the Hecla and Griper
XXI
Ixi
cxliii
civ
clxi
clxvii
LIST OP THE PLATES.
A I-
II.
III.
, IV.
V.
, VI.
VII.
VIII.
._ IX.
X.
XI.
. XII.
, XIII.
, XIV.
i-xv.
XVI.
XVII.
XVIII.
XIX.
XX.
General Polar Chart, shewing the Track, S^c. — to face
Situation of H. M. Ships Hecla and Griper, July 4th, 1819
Iceberg in Baffin's Bay, July, 1819 .
Chart of the Discoveries, 4"c. ^c.
Headlands, ^c, commencing with Cape Bathurst
Ditto Cape Warrender
Burnet Inlet •■....
Headlands, ^c, commencing with Hobhouse Inlet
I^'tto Prince Leopold's Islands
Chart of Port Bowen .....
Headlands, Sfc, commencing with Cape Cockburn
Situation of the Hecla and Griper, September 20th, 1819
Cutting into Winter Harbour
Hecla and Griper in Winter Harbour
Chart of Winter Harbour ....
Situation of the Hecla and Griper, 17th to 23d of August, 1820
Mnsk-Ox ....._
Chart of a Part of the Western Coast of Baffin's Bay
Esquimaux of the Inlet called the River Clyde
Chart of the River Clyde ....
Title Page.
. II
. 17
. 29
. 31
. 32
. 34
. 35
. 36
. 44
. 58
. 92
. 97
. 122
. 226
. 254
. 257
. 271
. 282
. 288
The following; Errata occur in the Noon Longitudes in the Nar-
native, in consequence of having inadvertently inserted those
by Chronometer No. 2i8, instead of those by the mean of the
whole number' employed.
Page 4, line <l, fromthcbottora,./;-!- 25 11 51 rearl Vi 10 51)
— 7,— 7, . — 48 0150 — 48 09 42
— 7, — 2, from the bottom, — 01 32 49 — 61 38 25
— 8,— 8 — 8134 28 — 6139 53
— 8, — 4, from the bottom, — fit 42 5S — 61 48 07
— II, — 9, do. do. — 56 47 56 — 57 07 56
— 12,— 9 — 57 46 26 — 57 5113
— 12, — 4, troni the bottom, — 57 00 43 — 57 05 54
— 13,— 5, —57 22 57 — 57.27 25
— 13,-20, — 58 10 30 — 53 14 55
— 14, — 4, from the botiom, — 57 33 56 — 57 37 40
— 15, — 7 — 59 II 53 — 50 14 57
— 16, — 3, — 59 46 18 — 59 43 04
— 17,-10 — 59 03 54 — 59 05 39
— 18,— 6, — 53 42 11 — 58 43 57
— 19, — 12 — 60 09 07 — 60 11 30
— 19, — 4, from the bottom, — 60 07 54 — GO 03 40
— 20, — 7, do. do. — 60 U 52 — 60 II 58
— 21, — 6, do. do. — 00 24 27 — 60 22 27
— 24, — 7, — 75 02 14 — 74 59 58
A Supplement to the Appendix, containing the Zoology,
Botany, Geology, ^c, of the Arctic Regions, will be published
on the \st of June.
INTRODUCTION.
His Majesty's Government having determined on the equipment
of an Expedition to attempt the Discovery of a North-West Pas-
sage into the Pacific, the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty were
pleased to honour me with the command ; and my Commission for His
Majesty's ship the Hecla, was dated the 16th of January, 1819. I
arrived in London on the 20th, and commissioned the Hecla at
Deptford on the following day. The second vessel appointed for this
service was the Griper, gun-brig ; she was commissioned by Lieute-
nant Matthew Liddon, who was directed to put himself under my
orders, on the 29th of January.
The Hecla was a bomb, of three hundred and seventy-five tores,
built in a merchant's yard at Hull, in the year 1815, of large scant-
ling, and having a capacious hold, which made her peculiarly fit for
this service. The Griper was originally a gun-brig, of one hundred
and eighty tons ; and it was proposed by the Navy Board to raise upon
her a deck of six feet, so as to increase her stowage as much as pos-
sible. Both ships had been taken into dock about the middle of
December, in order to undergo a thorough repair, and to receive
every strengthening which the nature of the service demanded.
INTRODUCTION.
The number of individuals employed on this service, amounted to
ninety-four ; their distribution on board each ship will be seen in the
following table.
A TABLE shewing the Officers, Seamen, Marines, SfC, embarked on board His Majesty's Ships
Hecla and Griper.
KANK.
ON BOARD THE HECLA.
Officers' Names.
No. of
Rank
ON BOARD THE GRIPER.
Officers' Names. each
Rank
Lieutenant and Commander
Astronomer . . . . .
Lieutenant
Surgeon
Purser
Assistant Surgeon ...
Midshipmen
Clerk
Gunner ....
Boatswain . . .
Carpenter . . .
Greenland Master .
Greenland Mate .
Cook
Leading Men . .
Quarter-master
Gunner's-mate . .
Boatswain's-mate .
Carpenter' s-mate .
Armourer' s-mate .
Sailmaker . . .
Able Seamen . .
Serjeant of Marines
Privates of ditto .
Serjeant of Artillery
Private of ditto
William Edward Parry
Capt. Edward Sabine, R. A.
Frederick William Beechey
John Edwards .....
William Harvey Hooper
Alexander Fisher ....
■Joseph Nias . .
William J. Dealey
Charles Palmer .
James Clarke Ross
.John Bushnan
James Halse . .
James Scallon . .
Jacob Swansea . .
William Wallis .
John Allison • .
George Crawford .
Accompanying Capt. Sabine
Total 58
Matthew Liddon . . ,
Henry Parkyns Hoppner
Charles James Beverly .
Andrew Reid ....
A. M. Skene . . . .
William Nelson Griffiths
Cyrus Wakeham . . .
George Fife
Alexander Elder
Corporal of Marines
Total
INTRODUCTION. Ill
As an encouragement to the oificers, seamen, and marines, who
were desirous of being employed on this service, the Lords Commis-
sioners of the Admiralty were pleased to grant to every individual
engaged in the Expedition, double the ordinary pay of His Majesty's
Navy. The ships were speedily manned with a full complement of
excellent seamen ; nearly the whole of those who had served on the
former Expedition having again volunteered tlieir services, besides
numerous others who were anxious to be employed on this occasion.
The mode of fortifying or strengthening the ships was principally the
same as that adopted on board the Isabella and Alexander in 1818 *.
The Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty were pleased to direct
the Navy and Victualling Boards to furnish every thing which the
experience of the former voyage had suggested as necessary, and
during the whole progress of our fitting, I received the greatest
attention and assistance from those Boards, who most readily com-
plied with every wish expressed by me for the more complete
equipment of the ships.
The mode of rigging the vessels was that of a barque, as
being the most convenient among the ice, and requiring the
smallest number of men to work them ; a consideration of no
little importance, where it was a material object to sail with
as few persons as possible, in order to extend our resources
to the utmost. The Hecla's mizen-topsail was, therefore, taken
away, and the mizen-mast, top-mast, gaff, and driver-boom length-
ened, so as to make up, by a large driver and gaflF-topsail, nearly the
same quantity of after-sail as before ; the foremast and mainmast
remaining the same as on the former establishment. By this al-
* See the Narrative of the former Voyage.
IV INTRODUCTIOK.
teration we were enabled to put the ship's company into three
watches, a regulation which is well known to tend very es-
sentially to the health and comfort of seamen, while it serves
also the important purpose of teaching them their own strength,
and increasing their activity on occasions requiring more than
ordinary exertion.
The ships were completely furnished with provisions and stores
for a period of two years ; in addition to which, a large supply of
fresh meats and soups, preserved in tin cases, by Messrs. Donkin and
Gamble, of Burkitt's essence of malt and hops, and of the essence
of spruce, was also put on board, besides a number of other extra
stores adapted to cold climates and a long voyage. The anti-
scorbutics consisted of lemon-juice (which forms a part of the daily
rations on board His Majesty's ships), vinegar, sour-krout, pickles,
and herbs ; and the whole of the provisions, which were of the
very best quality, were stowed in tight casks, to preserve theni
from moisture or other injury. As a matter of experiment, a small
quantity of vinegar, in a highly- concentrated state, recommended
and prepared by Doctor Bollman, was also put on board, and
was found of essential service, the greater part of the com-
mon kind being destroyed by the severity of the frost. In order
to save stowage, only a small proportion of biscuit was received ;
flour, which had been previously kiln-dried with great care, being
substituted in its place. For the purpose of baking for the daily con-
sumption of the crews during the winter months, a portable oven was
furnished to the Hecla ; and after a good leaven had been once
obtained, we found no difficulty in baking light and wholesome bread,
even in the severest part of the season. The ships were ballasted
INTRODUCTION. .Y
entirely with coals, (of which the Hecla stowed seventy, and t||e
Griper thirty-four chaldrons), together with such a quantity of fire-
wood as was necessary for the stowage of the casks in the holds.
To add to our warmth, and to keep out the snow during the winter,
a housing-cloth was prepared of the same materials as that with
which waggons are usually covered, and which being laid on planks,
supported amidships by spars lashed fore and aft between the masts,
and resting with their lower ends on the gunwale, completely answered
the purpose for which it was intended.
Care was taken to provide abundance of warm clothing,
and one suit of the best quality was liberally furnished for
each man employed in the Expedition, to be served gratis at my
discretion. Among the numerous articles of this kind which con-
tributed essentially to our comfort, a wolf-skin blanket was supplied
for each officer and man, which, in addition to those of the common
sort, effectually kept the people warm in their beds, although from
the necessary economy in fuel, the temperature of the decks was
frequently much below the freezing point during the nights.
To be prepared against the chances of meeting with any natives in the
countries which we were about to visit, the ships were directed to be
furnished with a large quantity of various kinds of presents, both to se-
cure their friendship, and to purchase any supplies of which we might
stand in need. In short, nothing was omitted which could in any
degree tend to the success of the enterprise, or to the health, con-
venience, and comfort of those engaged in it. I feel myself par-
ticularly indebted to the kindness of Commissioner Cunningham,
and the officers employed under him in the different departments
VI INTRODUCTION.
of the dock-yard at Deptford, in complying with, and even anti-
cipating, my wishes for the promotion of these objects. My thanks
are also due, in an especial manner to my friend Captain Henry
Garrett, agent victualler at that port, whose ready attention to all
our wants in his public department, could only be equalled by the
warm hospitality we experienced from him during the time of our
equipment.
While care was thus taken that nothing should be wanting to ensure
the success of the Expedition in its main object, the improvement of
geography and navigation, as well as the general jnterests of science,
were considered as of scarcely less importance. For this purpose, a
number of valuable instruments, (of which a list is subjoined), were
furnished to each ship ; and Captain Sabine, of the Royal Artillery, who
was recommended by the President and Council of the Royal Society,
was embarked on board the Hecla, as Astronomer to the Expedition.
Previously to our leaving Deptford, the ships were visited by
Viscount Melville, who presided at the Admiralty, as well as by
several of the Lords Commissioners, and by the Comptroller of the
Navy, who were pleased to express their satisfaction at the manner in
which their directions and intentions had been complied with in the
general equipment of the Expedition. On the 2d of May, I repaired
to the Admiralty, to receive their Lordships' final Instructions for the
conduct of the Expedition, a copy of which immediately precedes the
Narrative.
INTRODUCTION. VII
List of the Instruments^ ^c. embarked on board each of the two Ships.
Those marked with an Asterisk were furnished to the Hecla only.
* 2 Astronomical Clocks, with stands.
11 Chronometers on board the Hecla, and four on board the
Griper.
* 1 Transit instrument.
* 1 Portable observatory.
* 1 Repeating circle.
1 Dipping-needle. * A second ditto, the property of Henry
Browne, esq.
* 1 Instrument for magnetic force, on Captain Kater's improved
construction.
* 1 Variation transit.
* 1 Variation needle.
4 Azimuth compasses, on Captain Kater's improved construction.
1 Dip-sector, invented by Dr. Wollaston.
2 Mountain barometers.
2 Marine ditto.
2 Altitude instruments, invented by Captain Kater.
i Theodolite.
2 Anglometers.
1 Circular protractor.
3 Artificial horizons.
1 Hydrometer.
1 Water-bottle, invented by Dr. Marcet.
10 Thermometers.
* 4f Self-registering ditto, (Sixe's), with iron cases for fastening to
the deep-sea lead.
* 2 Electrometers, with chains.
Together with a complete set of drawing instruments, scales, beam-
compasses, <^c. for the construction of charts.
Viil INTRODUCTION.
'f?5' On our return to England, in the beginning of November, 1820,
all the journals, logs, charts, and drawings, which had been furnished
by every individual belonging to the Expedition, were delivered to the
Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, to be at their disposal; and
their Lordships were pleased immediately to direct them to be returned
into my hands, for the purpose of preparing for publication, under
their authority, an official account of the voyage.
In performing this duty, it has been my earnest endeavour equally
to avoid, on the one hand, a too minute and tedious detail of occur-
rences, which, as the materials for a future account, properly form a
part of a manuscript journal, but which, if given in their original
form, would only serve to tire by their repetition ; and on the other,
to omit nothing which came under my notice,' and that may be con-
sidered interesting, either by the scientific or the general reader. It
;>^*feaving been suggested to me that both these purposes would be best
answered by throwing into an Appendix the whole of the matter
which relates exclusively to geography, natural history, and the details
of scientific observations, this method has been adopted ; except in
a few cases, in which it was considered expedient, for elucidating the
subject under consideration, to introduce a brief notice of them into
the body of the work, without occasioning any material interruption
in the Narrative.
The following account of the proceedings of the Expedition is taken
principally from the official Journal kept by myself on board the
Hecla, and always written within twenty-four hours after the occur-
rence of the events recorded in it. In several instances, however,
I have been happy to avail myself of the journals or reports furnished
by the other officers, in all which cases the obligation is acknowledged
INTRODUCTION. IX
by inverted commas, and by personally mentioning the individual
who supplied the account.
The various observations made on board the Hecla during the
voyage, have been carefully collected into tables on the model of
those of Wales and Bayly, by Captain Sabine, to whom I am in-
debted for the arrangement of nearly the whole of the Appendix,
and for the superintendence of that part of the work during its
progress through the press. I feel it no less a duty than a pleasure
to acknowledge that, in the performance of this task, Captain Sabine
has added another to the many obligations I owe him, for his va-
luable advice and assistance during the whole course of this voyage,
to the credit of which his individual labours have so essentially
contributed. Of the manner in which the subject of natural his-
tory, contained in the Appendix, has been treated by those gen-
tlemen who did me the favour to undertake the examination and
description of the specimens brought home by the Expedition, it
does not become me to speak; but I may be permitted to offer
them my best acknowledgments for the very handsome and ready
manner in which they rendered me their assistance on this oc-
casion.
The Drawings made by Lieutenants Beechey and Hoppner were put
into the hands of skilful engravers, soon after the arrival of the ships
in the River, such of them being selected for publication as were
considered most likely to afford interest or entertainment. It must
be confessed, however, that there is little in the scenery of the Polar
regions on which the art of the painter can be exercised with ad-
vantage ; and the opportunities were necessarily the less frequent
on the late voyage, in consequence of the length of time which we
X INTRODUCTION.
were confined to one spot. Of the merit of the drawings made by
Lieutenants Beechey and Hoppner, I am not a competent judge,
further than as regards the accuracy and faithfulness of the delineation ;
and to this I am anxious to bear the most unqualified testimony,
no less than to the zeal and industry displayed by these gentlemen*
whenever opportunities offered of performing this branch of their,
duty, in compliance with their Lordships' Instructions on that
head.
The Charts contained in this volume, comprising surveys of every
coast visited by the Expedition during the voyage, are reduced
from those drawn on board the Hecla under my immediate in-
spection, by Mr. Bushnan, Midshipman of that ship, a gentleman
well skilled in the construction of charts, and in the art of marine
surveying. The original charts are lodged in the Hydrographical
Office of the Admiralty, together with a detailed account of all
the angles and other materials used in their construction. As it
was known that no reliance could be placed on the compasses from
the spot where our discoveries commenced (namely, from the
entrance of Sir James Lancaster's Sound, westward), it was deter-
mined, from the first, altogether to reject magnetic bearings in
the construction of the charts, using only those deduced astrono-
mically from the sun's altitude and azimuth, together with its angular
distance from the object whose true bearing was required. Astro-
nomical bearings were always thus obtained at the same time with
observations for latitude and longitude. Whenever it was considered
expedient to take them at other times, the log was of necessity re-
sorted to, in order to obtain the ship's place from the nearest
observation; and when this time happened to fall nearly midway
INTRODUCTION. Xf
between two observations, the mean of the reckoning, worked
backwards and forwards, was taken, to fix the ship's place. In the
selection of angles for the construction of the charts, those have, for
obvious reasons, been preferred, which were most easterly or westerly,
when an observation for latitude was made ; and those which were
most northerly or southerly, at the time of an actual observation
for determining the longitude. When angles only were taken, that
is, when the sun was obscured so as to prevent the possibility of ob-
taining his altitude and azimuth, the angles were used by laying them
off from one or more points, whose geographical position had been
previously fixed ; and by this means, in many instances, the former
angles have been found to correspond and intersect accurately, when
there would otherwise have been considerable doubt as to the exact
place of the ship. The observations for latitude and longitude have
been seldom or never made by less than two, and frequently by
three or four, observers, and a mean of these used in the con-
struction of the chart. The observers were generally Captain
Sabine, Lieutenant Beechey, Mr. Hooper, and myself; the angles
were taken with a sextant; sometimes by myself, and sometimes by
Lieutenant Beechey, to whose skill and industry in this depart-
ment of my duty, I am happy to acknowledge myself very materially
indebted.
A detailed account having been given by Captain Sabine in the
Appendix, of the chronometers used in obtaining the longitudes for
the survey, and of the mode of correcting their rates, it is unne-
cessary for me to add any thing on that subject, the care which has
been bestowed upon them being sufficiently apparent on an inspection
of the tables. In the daily winding of the chronometers, Captain
Xil INTRODUCTION.
Sabine was assisted by Mr. Hooper, purser of the Hecla, a gentleman
to whose zeal and exertions, during a period of three years that
we have been employed together on this service, I am more indebted
than I can adequately express. By those who have been accustomed
to the charge of chronometers for any length of time, and who
know the weight and importance of that charge, it will be considered
as deserving no small credit on the part of these gentlemen, that, for
a period of nearly twenty months, during which, eleven chronometers
were on board the Hecla, only two instances occurred of a single;
chronometer being suffered to go down by neglect. >..p. VT
The observations for the variation of the magnetic needle, made on
board the ships, have been altogether omitted in the course of the
narrative ; because, until a correction for the effects of local attraction
has been applied, they give little or no information as to the true
amount ; the whole, therefore, have been referred to the Appendix,
in the order in which they were taken. A number of these, obtained
for the express purpose of ascertaining the amount of the ship's
attraction upon the needle, with her head placed in different di-
rections, and when the dip and true variation were known, will be
found useful, perhaps, towards establishing some general formula for
the correction of those errors at sea. Such a formula, however, is
the less important from the facility with which the amount of this
irregularity may at almost any time be found, when the sun is visible,
by taking azimuths on a north and south magnetic course, in order to
obtain the true variation, and then upon any other required direction
of the ship's head. For the purposes of navigation, indeed, it is
generally necessary only to ascertain the variation to be allowed on
one or more courses, without regard to the true amount. This is par-
INTRODUCTION. XIU
ticularly the case when magnetic bearings are made use of in the
construction of a chart, a mode of surveying which, of course,
will only be resorted to when absolutely necessary. In such cases,
it will be proper to observe the variation of the needle upon the
same course as that on which the bearings are taken ; by this means
a degree of correctness may be attained, which would be little
expected by those who are unaccustomed to adopt this precautiouj^
and most of those errors avoided, which it has been usual to attri-fi
bute to a defect in the compasses.
To avoid unnecessary repetition in the course of the following
Narrative, it must be remarked that all the bearings are the true ones,
unless otherwise expressly noticed ; and the whole of the latitudes are
North, and the longitudes West from the meridian of Greenwich. The
temperatures were registered entirely by Fahrenheit's thermometer,
and it may be necessary to inform the general reader, that the
signs + and — preceding any number of degrees, signify above or
below zero of that scale. .;
The temperature of the sea at different depths was obtained, unless
otherwise noticed, by Sixe's self-registering thermometer, confined
in an iron case, and attached to the deep-sea lead. The bottle used
for bringing up water from different depths below the surface, was
invented by Doctor Marcet, expressly for the use of this Expedition<Lt
It consists of a strong and heavy cylindrical box of cast iron, having
a small aperture at each end ; through these apertures passes a bolt
which, when let down into its place, completely closes them, but
when held up by means of a catch in the upper part of the box, o
allows the water to pass through them freely, both at the top and,>2
bottom. Being thus set, it is let down to any depth required, byo
XIV INTRODtJC'riON.
a line passing through a hole in a spherical iron weight about
the size of a four-pounder shot, which is retained on board till
the instrument is low enough ; the weight is then let go, and
running rapidly down the line, strikes the catch so as to release
it, and close the apertures, confining the water which has entered
the cylinder. This instrument, from its extreme simplicity, and
the certainty with which it obtains the water from a known depth,
seems the best of any which has yet been adopted for this
purpose.
Care has been taken to avoid, as much as possible, the use of technical
expressions, which might serve to render the Narrative unintelligible
to any but seamen : as, however, such expressions cannot at all
times be dispensed with, especially in the navigation among ice,
the nature of which is totally different from any other, I have sub-
joined an Explanation of the few terms of this kind which occur
in the course of my Journal.
I had once thought to have cursorily drawn up a connected Nar-
rative of the numerous efforts and the results of former Expedi-
tions sent out, by this country and other maritime nations, to ex-
plore the Arctic regions, from the earliest periods to the present
time ; but as this would have occupied a considerable space, and,
after all, would have been but a brief abstract of what Forster,
Burney, and Barrow, have already done, it appeared, on second
thoughts, a superfluous undertaking. My motive indeed, it must be
frankly owned, was rather of a selfish kind, the gratification of myself
and comrades, by thus bringing together the repeated exertions of
two centuries, and those of a single voyage, and by instituting a com-
parison of their results, so favourable and so flattering to all of us
INTRODUCTION. W
who had the good fortune to be employed on that voyage. Here,
however, I must be permitted to say that, whatever the extent
of our success may have been, it is to be ascribed, in a great
degree, to the zealous and cordial cooperation of Lieutenant
Liddon and all the officers of both ships, and the uniform good
conduct of the men, to all of whom, collectively and indivi-
dually, I am most happy in availing myself of this opportunity,
of publicly rendering that justice which is so eminently their
due.
In closing this introductory part of the work, I would willingly
offer a few words by way of apology, for the many faults which, I
am but too well convinced, will be found in the stile of the
Narrative. It has been said, " Les marins ecrivent mal, mats avec
assez de candeur" None can feel more deeply than myself the truth of
the former part of this assertion ; and none, I can with equal sincerity
aver, have studied more to deserve the concluding part; but I
build my chief hopes of disarming the severity of criticism, on a
consideration of that early period of life at which the nature of
our profession calls us from our studies, and which, in my own
case, drew me away at the age of twelve, and has kept me
constantly employed at sea ever since. The extent of my aim has
been, to give a plain and faithful account of the facts which I
collected, and the observations which were made by myself and
others, in the course of the voyage ; and these, as far as they go, may
be relied on as scrupulously exact. It is for others, better qualified
than ourselves, to make their deductions from those facts.
We collected, and have brought home, specimens of the natural
productions of those seas and islands which we visited ; marking with
XVI INTRODUCTION.
care the places at which they were respectively procured ; and it
is hoped, that the papers in the Appendix, relating to Natural History,
will shew that no great loss to that branch of science has been
sustained, by the absence of a professional naturalist in the Expe-
dition. In fact, Captain Sabine, in a great degree, supplied the
place of a person of this description ; and to him, in particular,
the Appendix will shew, that science and philosophy stand greatly
indebted for a collection of facts and experiments, in a part of the
world hitherto but little known, and never before visited by Eu-
ropeans.
~:i^)iMir*m'i<!^i hmmlkf -■
EXPLANATION OF TECHNICAL TERMS
MADE USE OF IN THE COURSE OF THE
FOLLOWING NARRATIVE.
Bay-Ice. — Ice newly formed upon the surface.
Beset. — The situation of a ship, when so closely surrounded by ice, as to prevent her
sailing about.
Bight. — An indentation in a floe of ice, like a bay, by which name it is sometimes called.
Blink. — A peculiar brightness in the atmosphere which is almost always perceptible in
approaching ice, or land covered with snow. — Land-blink is usually more yellow
than that of ice.
Bore. — The operation of " boring" through loose ice consists in entering it under a press
of sail, and forcing the ship through by separating the masses.
Clear Water. — The sea unincumbered with ice.
Crow's-]^ EST. — A circular house, like a cask^ fixed at the mast-head, in which the look-
out man sits, either to guide the ship through the ice, or to give notice of
whales.
Dock. — An artificial dock is formed by cutting out with saws a square space in a thick
floe, in which a ship is placed, in order to secure her from the pressure of other
masses which are seen to be approaching, and which might otherwise endanger
her being " nipped." — A " natural dock" is simply a small bight, accidentally
found under similar circumstances.
Field. — A sheet of ice, generally of great thickness, and of such extent that its limits
cannot be seen from a ship's mast-head.
Floe. — The same as a field, except that its extent can be distinguished from a ship's mast-
head.— A " bay-floe" is a floe of ice newly formed upon the surface.
A Hole, or Pool of Wa ter. — A small space of clear water, surrounded by ice on
every side.
Land Ice. — Ice attached to the land, either in floes, or in heavy grounded masses, forced
up near the shore by external pressure.
XVIU EXPLANATION OF TECHNICAL TERMS.
A Lead. — A channel through the ice. — A ship is said to take a right lead, when she
follows that channel which conducts her into a clear, or at least, a navigable
sea, and vice versa.
Nipped. — To be forcibly pressed between two or more masses of ice.
A Pack. — A large body of loose ice, whose extent caimot be seen.
A Patch of Ice. — The same as a pack, but of small dimensions.
Sailjng-Ice. — Ice of which the masses are so much separated, as to allow a ship to sail
among them without great difficulty.
A Tongue. — A mass of ice projecting under water, in a horizontal direction, from an ice-
berg or floe. — A ship sometimes grazes, or is set fast on a tongue of ice,
which may, however, generally be avoided, being easily seen in smooth water.
A Water-Ukt. — A certain dark appearance of the sky which indicates clear water in that
direction, and which, when contrasted with the blink over ice, or land, is very
conspicuous.
Young Ice. — The same as bay-ice.
su'MmiXiSV '■'i^
OFFICIAL INSTRUCTIONS.
By the Commissioners for executing the Office of
Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland, <^c. ^c.
Whereas we have thought fit to appoint you to the command
of an Expedition, for the purpose of endeavouring to discover a
North- West Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean ; you
are hereby required and directed to put to sea in the Hecla, and,
in company with the Griper, which, with her commander Lieutenant
Liddon, has been placed under your orders, make the best of
your way to the entrance of Davis' Strait.
On your arrival in this Strait, your further proceedings must be
regulated chiefly by the position and extent of the ice; but, on
finding it sufficiently open to permit your approach to the western
shores of the Strait, and your advance to the northward as far as
XX OFFICIAL INSTRUCTIONS.
the opening into Sir James Lancaster's Sound, you are to proceed
in the first instance to that part of the coast, and use your best
endeavours to explore the bottom of that Sound ; or, in the event
of its proving a strait opening to the westward, you are to use all
possible means, consistently with the safety of the two ships, to
pass through it, and ascertain its direction and communications ;
and if it should be found to connect itself with the northern sea,
you are to make the best of your way to Behring's Strait.
Ifj however, you should ascertain that there is no passage through
Sir James Lancaster's Sound, but that it is enclosed by continuous
land, or so completely blocked up with ice as to afford no hope
of a passage through it, you are in that case to proceed to the north-
ward, and in like manner examine Alderman Jones's Sound. Fail-
ing to find a passage through this Sound, you are to make the
best of your way to Sir Thomas Smith's Sound, which is described
by Baffin as the largest in the whole bay; and carefully explore,
as far as practicable, every part of it, as well as of any strait you
may discover, leading from it into any other sea. On failing to make
a passage through this Sound, you are to return to the southward
down Baffin's Bay, and endeavour to make your way through Cum-
berland Strait, or any opening in that neighbourhood which may
lead you to the seas adjoining the eastern or northern coast of
America ; you are then, by whatever course you may have reached
these seas, to pursue your voyage along that coast, to the northward
or westward to Behring's Strait. .tAf-fp^sMVi-v.fti ^^■fiffir,^'^fif^f.,^^
iUiWe have hitherto supposed that, on your first arrival in Davis'
Strait, the navigation to the northward shall be found practicable.
If, however, you should find the contrary to be the case, and that
OFFICIAL INSTRUCTIONS.
the sea towards the western side of the Strait is so loaded with ice,
as to render it difficult and dangerous for the ships to proceed so
far to the northward as Lancaster Sound, at so early a period of
the season ; it may be advisable, in that case, to endeavour in the
first instance, to examine Cumberland Strait, or any other opening
that may be likely to ^bring you to the eastern coast of America,
in preference to the loss of time and the danger to the ships,
which might be occasioned in persevering too anxiously in the at-
tempt to get to Lancaster Sound; and should you, on your first
reaching Davis' Strait, find it to be impracticable to make your
way up the western side of the Strait to that Sound, or even to
Cumberland Strait, you will understand, that you are at liberty
to proceed towards those places, going round by a more easterly track,
if the state of the ice, and all other circumstances, should induce you
to think it most advisable to do so. Thus, although the track,
which we wish you to pursue, if practicable, is pointed out ; you
will, nevertheless, perceive, that the course to be finally adopted
by you for getting to the northward, is, in fact, left to your own
discretion, on a careful examination into the state of the ice on
your arrival in Davis' Strait ; always bearing in mind, that, it is
an important object of the Expedition, that Lancaster Sound be
thoroughly examined by you, and afterwards those of Jones and
Smith, if you should have failed in previously finding a passage to
the westward. . :, .;
Should you be so successful as to find a passage to the westward,'
it will be advisable to make the best of your way, without stopping
to examine any part of the northern coast of America, to Behring's
Strait; and if you should fortunately accomplish your passage
XXll OFFICIAL INSTRUCTIONS.
through that Strait, you are then to proceed to Kamtschatka (if
you think you can do so without risk of being shut up by the ice
on that coast), for the purpose of deliv.ering to the Russian Governor,
duplicates of all the Journals and other documents which the passage
may have supplied, with a request that they may be forwarded
over-land to St. Petersburgh, to be conveyed from thence to London.
From Kamtschatka you will proceed to the Sandwich Islands, or
Canton, or such other place as you may think proper, to refit the
ships and refresh the crews ; and, if during your stay at such place,
a safe opportunity should occur of sending papers to England, you
should send duplicates by such conveyance. And, after having re-
fitted and refreshed, you are to lose no time in returning to England,
by such route as you may deem most convenient.
If, at any period of your voyage, but particularly after you shall
haye doubled the north-eastern extremity of America, the season
shall be so far advanced as to make it unsafe to navigate the ships, on
account of the long nights having set in, and the sea not being free
from ice ; and the health of your crews, the state of the ships, and all
concurrent circumstances, should combine to induce you to form the
resolution of wintering in those regions, you are to use your best eji*
deavours to discover a sheltered and safe harbour, where the ships
may be placed in security for the winter; taking such measures for
the health and comfort of the people committed to your charge, as
the materials with which you are supplied for housing-in the ships, or
hutting the men on shore, may enable you to do. And, if you shall
find it expedient to resort to this measure, and you should meet with
any inhabitants, either Esquimaux or Indians, near the place where
you winter, you are to endeavour, by every means in your power, to
OFFICIAL INSTRUCTIONS. XXIII
»
cultivate a friendship with them, by making them presents of sucli
articles as you may be supplied with, and which may be useful or
agreeable to them. You will, however, take care not to suffer yourself
to be surprised by them, but use every precaution, and be constantly
on your guard against any hostility. \*'o'- ^
You will endeavour to prevail on them, by such reward, and to be
paid in such manner, as you may think best to answer the purpose, to
carry to any of the settlements of the Hudson's Bay Company, or of
the North- West Company, an account of your situation and pro-
ceedings ; with an urgent request that it may be forwarded to England
with the utmost possible despatch.
In an undertaking of this description, much must, of course, be always
left to the discretion of the commanding officer ; and, as the objects
of this Expedition have been fully explained to you, and you have
already had some experience on service of this nature, we are con-
vinced we cannot do better than leave it to your judgment, when on
the spot, in the event of your not making a passage this season, either
to winter on the coast, with the view of following up next season,
any hopes or expectations which your observations this year may
lead you to entertain, or to return to England, to report to us the
result of such observations; always recollecting our anxiety for the
health, comfort, and safety of yourself, your officers, and men ; and
further considering how far the advantage of starting next season
from an advanced position, may not be counter-balanced by what
may be suffered during the winter, and by the want of such re-
freshment and refitting, as would be afforded by your return to
England.
^^, We deem it right to caution you against suffering the two
XXIV OFFICIAL INSTRUCTIONS.
vessels placed under your orders to separate, except in the event
of accident or unavoidable necessity, and we desire you to keep
up the most unreserved communications with the commander of
the Griper; placing in him every proper confidence, and ac-
quainting him with the general tenor of your orders, and with
your views and intentions, from time to time, in the execution
of them; that the service may have the full benefit of your
united efi"orts in the prosecution of such a service; and that,
in the event of unavoidable separation, or of any accident to
yourself, Lieutenant Liddon may have the advantage of knowing,
up to the latest practicable period, all your ideas and inten-
tions, relative to a satisfactory completion of this interesting under-
taking.
'f* We also recommend, that as frequent an exchange take place,
as conveniently may be, of the observations made in the two
ships ; that any scientific discovery made by the one be, as
quickly as possible, communicated for the advantage and guidance
of the other, in making their future observations ; and to increase
the chance of the observations of both being preserved.
;'«i We have caused a great variety of valuable instruments to be put
on board the ships under your orders ; of which you will be furnished
with a list, and for the return of which you will be held responsible ;
and we have also, at the recommendation of the President and Council
of the Royal Society, ordered to be received on board the Hecla,
Captain Sabine, of the Royal Artillery, who is represented to us as
a gentleman well skilled in Astronomy, Natural History, and various
branches of knowledge, to assist you in making such observations as
may tend to the improvement of Geography and Navigation, and the
OFFICIAL INSTRUCTIONS. XXV
advancement of science in general. Amongst other subjects of scien-
tific inquiry, you will particularly direct your attention to the variation
and inclination of the magnetic needle, and the intensity of the mag-
netic force ; you will endeavour to ascertain how far the needle may
be affected by the atmospherical electricity, and what effect may be
produced on the electrometer and magnetic needle on the appearance
of the Aurora Borealis. You will keep a correct register of the tem-
perature of the air, and of the sea, at the surface and at different
depths. You will cause the dip of the horizon to be frequently
observed by the dip sector, invented by^ Dr. Wollaston ; and ascer-
tain what effect may be produced by measuring that dip across fields
of ice, as compared with its measurement across the surface of the
open sea. You will also cause frequent observations to be made for
ascertaining the refraction, and what effect may be produced by
observing an object, either celestial or terrestrial, over a field of ice,
as compared with objects observed over a surface of water : together
with such other meteorological remarks as you may have opportunities
of making. You are to attend particularly to the height, direction,
and strength of the tides, and to the set and velocity of the currents ;
the depth and soundings of the sea, and the nature of the bottom ;
for which purpose you are supplied with an instrument better calcu-
lated to bring up substances than the lead usually employed for this
purpose.
And you are to understand, that although the finding a passage from
the Atlantic to the Pacific is the main object of this Expedition, yet,
that the ascertaining the correct position of the different points of the
land on the western shores of Baffin's Bay, and the different observa-
tions you may be enabled to make with regard to the magnetic influ-
(I
XXVI OFFICIAL INSTRUCTIONS.
ence in that neighbourhood, supposed to be so near the position of
one of the great magnetic poles of the earth, as well as such other
observations as you may have opportunities of making in Natural
History, Geography, ^c, in parts of the globe, ^c, little known,
must prove most valuable and interesting to the science of our
country; and we, therefore, desire you to give your unremitting
attention, and to call that of all the officers under your command, to
these points; as being objects likely to prove of almost equal import-
ance to the principal one before-mentioned, of ascertaining whether
there exist any passage to the northward, from the one ocean to the
other.
For the purpose, not only of ascertaining the set of the currents in
the Arctic Seas, but also of affording more frequent chances of hear-
ing of your progress, we desire that you do, frequently after you have
passed the latitude of 65° north, and once every day, when you shall
be in an ascertained current, throw overboard a bottle, closely sealed,
and containing a paper stating the date and position at which it is
launched ; and you will give similar orders to the Commander of the
Griper, to be executed in case of separation ; and, for this purpose,
we have caused each ship to be supplied with papers, on which is
printed, in several languages, a request, that whoever may find it
should take measures for transmitting it to this office.
And although you are not to be drawn aside from the main object of
the service on which you are employed, as long as you may be
enabled to make any progress ; yet, whenever you may be impeded
by the ice, or find it necessary to approach the coasts of the continent
or islands, you are to cause views of bays, harbours, headlands, ^c,
to be carefully taken, to illustrate and explain the track of the vessels.
' OFFICIAJ* INSTRUCTIONS. XXVll
or such charts as you may be able to make ; in which duty you will be
assisted by Lieutenants Beechey and Hoppner, whose skill in drawing
is represented to be so considerable, as to supersede the necessity of
appointing professional draughtsmen.
You are to make use of every means in your power to collect and
preserve such specimens of the animal, mineral, and vegetable king-
doms, as you can conveniently stow on board the ships ; and of the
larger animals you are to cause accurate drawings to be made, to
accompany and elucidate the descriptions of them : in this, as well as
in every other part of your scientific duty, we trust that you will
receive material assistance from Captain Sabine. .^
In the event of any irreparable accident happening to either of the
two ships, you are to cause the officers and crew of the disabled ship
to be removed into the other ; and with her singly to proceed in pro-
secution of the voyage, or return to England, according as circum-
stances shall appear to require ; understanding that the officers and
crews of both ships are hereby authorized and required to continue to
perform their duties, according to their respective ranks and stations,
on board either ship to which they may be so removed, in the event
of an occurrence of this nature. Should, unfortunately, your own
ship be the one disabled, you are, in that case, to take the command
of the Griper ; and, in the event of any fetal accident happening to
yourself, Lieutenant Liddon is hereby authorized to take the command
of the Hecla, placing the officer of the Expedition, who may then be
next in seniority to him in command of the Griper ; also, in the event
of your own inability by sickness or otherwise, at any period of this
service, to continue to carry these Ipstructions into execution, you are
t^ transfer them to the officer the next in conunand to you employed
OFFICIAL INSTRUCTIONS.
on the Expedition, who is hereby required to execute them in the.uf
best manner he can, for the attainment of the several objects in ft,
view.
His Majesty's Government having appointed Lieutenant Franklin
to the command of an expedition to explore the northern coast of
North America, from the mouth of the Copper-mine River of Hearne ;
it would be desirable, in the event of your touching on that coast, to
leave some testimonial of your having been there, with the date, and
such circumstances as you may find convenient, for the lieutenant's
information ; and you will do the same wherever you may stop on
that coast, by erecting a pole, having a flag, or some other mark by
which it may be distinguished at a distance, (and you should endea-
vour to place such mark on the situation in which it may be most ex-
tensively visible,) and burying a bottle at the foot of it, or otherwise,
containing an abstract of your proceedings and future intentions ;
corresponding instructions having been given to Lieutenant Franklin
to leave a similar notice at any convenient part of the coast which
he may discover between the mouth of the said river and the eastern
part of North America.
You are, while executing the service pointed out in these Instruc-
tions, to take every opportunity that may offer of acquainting our
Secretary, for our information, with your progress : and on your arrival
in England, you are immediately to repair to this office, in order to
lay before us a full account of your proceedings in the whole course
of your voyage ; taking care, before you leave the ship, to demand
from the officers, petty officers, and all other persons on board, the
logs and journals they may have kept ; together with any drawings
or charts they may have made ; which are all to be sealed up ; and
OFFICIAL INSTRUCTIONS.
XXIX
and you will issue similar directions to Lieutenant Liddon and his '^
officers, i^c. ; the said logs, journals, or other documents, to be there- >
after disposed of as we may think proper to determine.
' Given under our hands the 1st day of May, 1819.
jam/- (Signed) Melville, liioH
G. MooRE, ' ^^"ovf a
M-gmfsd 1U0X }' G. CocKBURN.
Bi/ Command of their Lordships,
(Signed)
J. W. Croker.
•- sfljt no
' vsra ii iiDfxfw
■Iq vi Tjjov
'Bol oi
To ^1 io ja;
Lieutenant William Edward Party ,
Commanding His Mcfjesty s
Ship the Hecla.
ma Aih liqoi 9V^
' >ns uoY
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III
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4 hoB gTjoi
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VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY.
VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
OF A
NORTH-WEST PASSAGE.
CHAPTER I.
PASSAGE ACROSS THE ATLANTIC ENTER DAVIs' STRAIT UNSUCCESSFUL
ATTEMPT TO PENETRATE THE ICE TO THE WESTERN COAST VOYAGE UP
THE STRAIT PASSAGE THROUGH THE ICE TO THE WESTERN COAST
ARRIVAL OFF POSSESSION BAY, ON THE SOUTHERN SIDE OF THE ENTRANCE
INTO SIR JAMES LANCASTER'S SOUND.
1 HE Hecla and Griper were ready to drop down the river in the early part 1819.
of April ; but, the wind continuing to the eastward, the pilots would not v^.^
venture to turn them down. The wind remained in the same quarter till the
beginning of May, beyond which time it would not have been prudent to
delay our moving. Application was, therefore, made for a steam-boat to tow
the ships to Northfleet, and on the 4th, at eight A.M., the Hecla was taken in
tow by the Eclipse, of sixty-horse power. With a fresh breeze right a-head,
she moved at the rate of three miles and a half an hour through the Avater, and
was made fast to the buoy at Northfleet at a quarter past noon. The steam-
boat returned to Deptford for the Griper, and arrived with her at night.
The guns and gunner's-stores were received on baord on the 6th ; and,
all the iron being now stowed, as it would probably remain for the rest of
the voyage, the afternoon of that day was occupied in obtaining some steady
observations on the irregularities of the magnetic needle on board the Hecla,
by turning her head round to each point of the compass in succession. These
observations will be found in the Appendix.
2 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1819. The ships took their powder on board on the 7th, and moved to the LoAver-
x,,^^ Hope. On the evening of the following day they anchored at the Nore,
where the instruments and chronometers were embarked. I furnished Lieu-
tenant Liddon with a complete copy of the Instructions which I had received
from the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, together with an order
containing general directions for the economical use of the provisions and
stores, and for the mode of registering the various observations to be made
during the voyage ; appointing also certain places of rendezvous in case of
unavoidable separation.
Captain Sabine went on shore at Garrison-Point, on the 9th, to make ob-
servations on the magnetic force with some needles of a new construction by
Captain Henry Kater. Of these observations an account by Captain Sabine
will be found in the Appendix.
Commissioner Boyle came on board on the evening of the 10th, to superin-
tend the payment of the arrears of wages, and three months' advance, to the
seamen and marines. On the following day, when the men had supplied
themselves with a sufficient stock of clothes, according to a list which had
been previously issued, the ships weighed at ten A.M., and at noon were
abreast the Nore-light. The wind being free, the Hecla, at sunset, had out-
sailed the Griper about three miles.
Wed. 12. Finding the Griper continued to detain us this morning, I determined to
take her in tow, and at three P.M. we ran through Yarmouth Roads, but
anchored in the evening with the flood-tide, the wind being too light to
enable the ships to stem it. Soon after midnight we again weighed, the
Frid. 14. wind having got round to the N.b.W^. On the morning of the 14th, in
beating to the northward, the Hecla touched the ground on the east end of
Sheringham-Shoals, Cromer Light-house bearing S.b.E. per compass. The
pilot should not have brought it to the eastward of south, on which bearing
there is no danger. Finding the ships made no way, and that it would
not be practicable to anchor with the lee-tide, we bore up for Yarmouth
Roads, and anchored within the Cockle Gat at two P.M.
Sat. 15. At noon on the following day, while getting under way, I received a
visit from Captain Wells, of His Majesty's sloop the Wye, who kindly offered
every assistance in his power, and sent us our last supply of English beef,
as we passed his ship. A favourable breeze springing up on the morning of
Sun. 16. the 16th, the Griper was taken in tow, and at two P.M. on the 19th, we made
Wed. 19. Fair Island.
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 3
It fell calm in the evening, and several fine cod fQadus MorhuaJ and coal-
fish fGadus Carbonarius) were caught ; the centre of the island bearing N.E.
half N. per compass, distant eight or nine miles. This was the last supply
of fresh fish that we obtained during the voyage. It was light enough at mid-
night, to see Fair Island distinctly at the distance of ten miles.
On the 20th, we spoke the Danish brig David Eske, from Copenhagen, Thur. 20.
bound to Disko Island. The Griper was taken in tow again in the evening,
and we rounded the northern-point of the Orkneys, at the distance of two
miles and a half, having from thirty to thirty-six fathoms of water.
We made the island of Rona on the 21st., and Bara on the following Fnd. 21.
morning. The position of these islands by our observations is : Sat. 22.
BARA. RONA.
Latitude, ... 59° 04' 24". 59° 05' 54".
Longitude, . . 6° 14' 34". 5° 52' 04".
As we ran along to the northward of them, at the distance of six or seven
miles, the soundings were from fifty to seventy-five fathoms, the deepest
being off Bara, on a bottom of gravel, coarse sand, and broken shells.
It is recommended by the most experienced of the Greenland Masters, to
cross the Atlantic to Davis' Strait, about the parallel of 57|° or 58°, and I
shaped our course accordingly. A bottle was thrown overboard, containing
a printed paper, stating the date and the situation of the ships, with a request,
in six European languages, that any person finding it would forward it to the
Secretary of the Admiralty, with a notice of the time and place where it was
found *. One bottle, at least, was thrown out daily during the voyage, except
when the ships were " beset" in the ice.
The wind being right aft on the morning of the 24th, the Griper, still in Mon. 24.
tow, took the wind out of our sails, and forged a-head, obliging us to cast
off the hawser. Soon after noon we made Rockall ; its latitude, by our
observations, was 57° 38' 40", and its longitude 13° 47' 42". The geogra-
phical position of this remarkable rock was determined by Captain Capel, in
1818, to be lat. 57° 39' 32", long. 13° 31' 16", which is to be preferred to
* The purpose intended to be answered by this kind of communication, will be best
understood, by referring to my Instructions from the Lords Commissioners of the
Admiralty.
B I
4 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
ours, owing to the distance at which we passed it. There is, perhaps, no
more striking proof of the infinite value of chronometers at sea, than the
certainty with which a ship may sail directly for a single rock like this, rising
like a speck out of the ocean, and at the distance of forty-seven leagues from
" any other land. At seven P.M., the Griper having again dropped five or six
miles astern, we hove to for her to come up ; and, taking this opportunity to
try the temperature of the water below the surface by Six's self-registering
thermometer, we unexpectedly obtained soundings in one hundred and
forty fathoms, on a bottom of very fine white sand, Rockall bearing S. 85° E.,
distant thirty miles and three-quarters. The temperature of the water at the
bottom was 47|°, that of the surface being 491°, and of the air 50°. The
Griper was again taken in tow, with a breeze from the eastward, which in-
Tues. 25. creased to a fresh gale the following morning, when the hawser, by which
we towed the Griper, gave way ; we hove to for her in the evening, being
in lat. 57° 04' 10", long. 17° 52' 50", when some water was brought up from
one hundred fathoms' depth in the bottle contrived by Doctor Marcet ; its
specific gravity was 1.0268, at the temperature of 58°, that of the surface
water being the same. The temperature of the water at the same depth was
49°, that of the surface being 50°, and of the air 50|°.
Tliur. 27. On the 27th, we cast off the Griper, and hauled a little to the northward,
in order to pass near the spot where Lieutenant Pickersgill obtained sound-
ings, from three hundred and twenty to three hundred and thirty fathoms,
on the 29th of June, 1776 ; and, at six P.M., being in lat. 56° 59' 39", and
long, by chronometers, 24° 33' 40", the deep-sea clarams were sent down with
one thousand and twenty fathoms of line, without finding bottom. The
temperature of the sea at that dejith was 45|°, that of the surface being 48|°,
and of the air 49°.
Frid. 28. It fell calm towards noon on the 28th, the ship being in lat. 57° 26' 16",
long. 25° 11' 51". The current was tried in a boat moored by an iron kettle,
in the usual way, but not the smallest stream was perceptible. Six's ther-
mometer was sent down to one hundred and twenty fathoms, but did not
indicate the temperature, owing to the mercury rising past the index, instead
of pushing it up before it ; a failure 1 have often had occasion to regret in
this useful instrument, when thus exposed to a very sudden change of
temperature. It might, perhaps, be improved for this particular purpose, by
making the lower end of each index a little larger, so as to prevent the
passage of the mercury between it and the tube. Some water, from one
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 5
hundred and thirty fathoms' depth, was at the temperature of 48° on coming
to the surface, that of the surface being 49°, and of the air 49°. Its specific
gravity was 1.0266 at the temperature of 61°, being the same as that of the
surface-water.
The wind veered to the westward on the 30th, and increased to a fresh Sun. .30.
gale, with an irregular sea, and heavy rain, which brought us under our
close-reefed topsails. At half-past one, P.M., we began to cross the space
in which the " Sunken Land of Bus'' is laid down in Steel's chart from
England to Greenland ; and, in the course of this and the following day, we
tried for soundings several times without success, the ship's position being
as folloAvs:
LONGITUDE. FATHOMS.
- - - ^ 29° 30' 160
LATITUDE,
57°
46'
57
49
58
02
58
07
58
14
58
13
- - - - 29 22 90
- - - - 29 32 80
- - - - 29 34 85
- - - - 29 46 100
- - - - 30 52 170
This being the anniversary of His Majesty's birth-day, and the weather Friday4.
being calm and fine, I directed an additional allowance of grog to be served
out, or, in seamen's phrase, " the main brace to be spliced." In the evening,
being then in lat. 55° 01', and long. 35° 56', we tried for soundings with
two hundred and fifty fathoms of line, without finding bottom. The
temperature of the sea at that depth was 44|°, surface 44,j°, air 43°.
On the 7th and 8th, we had hard gales from the westward, with a heavy 7 and 8.
sea. Indeed, from the 1st to the 14th of June, we experienced a continued
series of unfavourable winds and unpleasant weather, so that very little
progress could be made to the westward.
On the 13th, being in lat. 57° 51', and long. 41° 05', the temperature of Sun. 13.
the sea, at two hundred and thirty-five fathoms' depth, was found to be
39°, surface 40|°, air 41 1°. A very slight current was found to set to the
southward. We saw, to-day, large flocks of sheerwaters (Procellaria PuffinusJ,
called by the sailors, " cape hens," from an idea that they are only to be.
found near Cape Farewell. I do not remember to have met with these birds
in any other part of Davis' Strait, or in Baffin's Bay.
On the 15th, a breeze sprung up from the eastward, and at noon we very Tues.i5.
6 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
unexpectedly saw land at a great distance, bearing due north. This could be
no other than the land about Cape Farewell, of which the longitude, by our
chronometers, being the same as that of the ship, was 42° 56' 41", agreeing
nearly with that given in the tables of Maskelyne, Mendoza Rios, and Robertson,
and in the Connaissance des Terns, being from 2° to 3° to the eastward of the po-
sition assigned to it in most of the charts. This accounts for a remark, which is
common among the whalers, that they always make this headland in coming
from the eastward, sooner than they expect ; a circumstance which they natu-
rally attribute to the effect of a westerly current. If the latitude of Cape Farewell
be so far to the northward as 59° 37' 30'', which is the mean of nine different
authorities, our distance from it this day must have been more than forty
leagues. It is by no means impossible that the bold land of Greenland may
be distinguished at so great a distance ; and it is proper to remark, that the
weather, at the time we saw it, was precisely that which is said to be most
favourable for seeing objects at a great distance, namely, just before or after
rain, when the humidity of the atmosphere increases its transparency *.
Wed. 16. The wind again backed to the westward on the 16th, and we stretched to the
Thur. 17. northward towards the land. On the evening of the 17th, being in lat. 58° 52',
and long. 48° 12', the colour of the water was observed to be of a lighter green
than that of the ocean in general ; but we could find no soundings with two
hundred and ninety fathoms of line. The temperature of the sea at that depth,
was 38|°, of the surface, 38|, and of the air, 381°.
Frid. 18. Early in the morning of the 18th, in standing to the northward, we fell in
with the first " stream" of ice we had seen, and soon after saw several ice-
bergs. At daylight the water had changed its colour to a dirty brownish tinge.
We had occasion to remark the same in entering Davis' Strait in 1818, when
no difference in its temperature was perceptible. The temperature of the wa-
ter this morning was 36^°, being 3° colder than on the preceding night ; a de-
crease that was probably occasioned by our approach to the ice. We ran through
a narrow part of the stream, and found the ice beyond it to be " packed" and
heavy. The birds were more numerous than usual ; and, besides the fulmar
petrels, boatswains, and kittiwakes, we saw, for the first time, some rotges
{"Alca AlleJ dovekies, or black guillemots (Colymbus GrylleJ and terns (Sterna
Hirundo,) the latter known best to seamen by the name of the Greenland swal-
low. Soon after noon, being in lat. 59° 40', long. 47° 46', and the water being
* Humboldt. Personal Narrative, I. pp. 81. 101, 102.
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 7
of the same colour as in the morning, we tried for soundings, but could find no ^^l^-
bottom with two hundred and sixty fathoms. The temperature of the sea at ^,*-t-v.'
that depth was 39°, that of the surface being then 37°, and of the air 35°. The
specific gravity of the surface water which at noon was 1.0262, at the temperature
of 56", had decreased to 1.0257, at that of 57°. On the 19th, at noon we were Sat. 19.
in latitude, by observation on the ice, 59° 48' 26"*, and in longitude, by the
chronometers, 48° 01' 50", when a current was found to set S. 50° W. at the rate
of six miles per day. A breeze springing up from the eastward, we bore away
to the W.N.W., through rather close " sailing ice." The fog which had pre-
vailed during the day cleared away in the evening, and discovered to us the
coast of Greenland, bearing from N. 3° W. to N. 62° E., at the distance of twelve
or thirteen leagues. On the following morning a very remarkable hill, being the Sun. 20.
highest land in sight, was found, by a base measured by Massey's patent log, to
be in lat. 60° 53' 29 ', and long. 48° 42' 22". This position answers nearly to an
island called Nona in Arrowsmith's chart, a little to the eastward of Cape De-
solation. The water still continued of the same dirty colour as before ; but at
half past four P.M., when we hove to, for the purpose of taking the Griper in
tow, we could find no bottom with a hundred and forty fathoms of line. On
the evening of the 21st, having run to the westward as far as 55° 01' W. in the Mon. 21.
lat. of 61° 26'; we observed the colour of the water to have changed from the
brownish tinge before-mentioned, to a light bluish green ; and it is remarkable
that its specific gravity was found to have increased, within a few hours,
from 1.0257 to 1.0261, both being at the temperature of 57° when weighed.
These experiments seem to confirm those made on the 18th, and to render
it highly probable, that the brown colour remarked in the sea was occasioned
by the admixture of a large portion of fresh water, supplied by the melting
of the snow and ice.
On the 21st and 22d, we sailed to the W.N.W. in an open sea ; and, onTues. 22.
the 23d, at noon, being in lat. 62° 43' 09", long. 61° 32' 49", we saw several Wed. 23.
icebergs, and some loose ice, to the north-westward. We obtained soundings
* The ice here havmg a motion -which was very perceptible in the artificial horizon, we
had recourse to a mode of observing the meridian altitude, which we had occasionally
adopted in the former voyage. Two observers brought the same limb of the sun down in
separate horizons ; the first of these taking care never to allow the two images to separate
entirely, and the second never permitting them to overlap. The mean of the two ob-
servations being then taken, the error arising from the rolling motion of the ice may thus be
in a great measure obviated, and the altitude obtained within the nearest minute.
8 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1819. in the evening in two hundred fathoms, fine sandy bottom, being close to a
v,,^^ large iceberg, from which copious streams of water were flowing on the side
next the sun.
Tluir.24. On the clearing up of a fog, on the morning of the 24th, we saw a long
chain of icebergs, extending several miles in a N.b.W. and S.b.E. direction ;
and, as we approached them, we found a quantity of " floe-ice" intermixed
with them, beyond which, to the westward, nothing but ice could be seen.
At noon being in lat. 63° 34' 24", long. 61° 34' 28", we had soundings, with
one hundred and twenty fathoms of line, on a bottom of fine sand, which
makes it probable that most of the icebergs were aground in this place.
In the afternoon, we sailed within the edge of the ice, as much as a light
westerly wind would admit, in order to approach the western land, as
directed by my instructions. Some curious efiects of atmospheric refraction
were observed this evening, the low ice being at times considerably raised
in the horizon, and constantly altering its appearance. An iceberg, at the
distance of two or three njiles from us, assumed an inverted shape, as in the
, following figure :
Inverted Image.
Iceberg.
Frid.25, The weather being nearly calm on the morning of the 25th, all the boats
were kept a-head, to tow the ships through the ice to the westward. It
remained tolerably open till four P.M., when a breeze, freshening up from
the eastward, caused the ice through which we had lately been towing, to
close together so rapidly, that we had scarcely time to hoist up the boats
before the ships were immoveably " beset." The clear sea which we had
left was about four miles to the eastward of us, Avhile to the westward
nothing but one extensive field of ice could be seen. It is impossible to
conceive a more helpless situation than that of a ship thus beset, when all
the power that can be applied will not alter the direction of her head a
Sat. 26. single degree of the compass. On the 26th, we were in lat. by observation,
63° 59' 29", and long. 61° 42' 58", having one hundred and twenty-five
fathoms, on a fine sandy bottom. The deep-sea line indicated a drift to
the S.b.W. Some of our gentlemen, having walked a mile or two from the
ships, imagined that they saw the marks of a sledge upon the ice, but, as
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 9
no traces either of doars or of one human foot appeared, they were perhaps 1819.
June.
mistaken.
The observations made here on the dip and variation of the magnetic
needle, and on the intensity of the magnetic force, as well as the result
of a number of lunar distances, obtained on this and the two following
days, while thus beset, will be found in the Appendix. The wind increased
to a strong gale from the northward, which continued the whole of the
following day-; when we found by observation that the ships had drifted Sun. 27.
S. 23° W., thirteen miles and a quarter, the soundings having decreased to
one hundred and twenty fathoms.
A large black whale, (Balcena MysticetusJ being the first, was seen near
the ships.' It is usual for these animals to descend head-foremost, displaying
the broad fork of their enormous tail above the surface of the water ; but,
on this occasion, the ice was so close as not to admit of this mode of descent,
and the fish went down tail-foremost, to the great amusement of our Green-
land sailors.
As long as the wind continued to blow strong towards the ice, so as to
keep it close, the ships lay securely sheltered from the sea ; but at nine in
the evening, when it veered a little to the westward, the ice became more
slack, and we began to feel the effects of the swell which was thus admitted
from without : each roll of the sea forced the heavy masses of ice against
the rudder and counter with such violence as would have greatly endan-
gered a ship built in the ordinary way ; strengthened as ours were, however,
they escaped without damage. Frequent endeavours were made to heave
the heads of the ships round, in order that they might receive the heaviest
pressure on their bows, but every attempt proved unsuccessful, and we re-
mained in the same unpleasant situation during the whole of the 28th. Mon. 2i.
While in this state, a large white bear came near the Griper, and was
killed by her people, but he simk between the pieces of ice. This animal
had, probably, been attracted by the smell of some red herrings which the
men were frying at the time. It is a common practice with the Greenland
sailors to take advantage of the strong sense of smelling which these creatures
possess, by enticing them near the ships in this manner.
The swell had somewhat subsided on the 29th, but the ships remained Tues. 29.
firmly fixed in the ice as before. In the course of the day we saw land
bearing N. 69° W. about thirteen leagues distant, appearing from the mast-
head like a group of islands, and situated near to the entrance of Cumber-
c
|0 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1819. land Strait ; the soundings were one hundred and thirty-five fathoms ; the
temperature of the sea at that depth 30° ; that of the surface being the same ;
Wed. 30. and of the air 34°. On the 30th, the ice began to slacken a little more about
the ships ; and, after two hours' heaving with a hawser on each bow brought
to the capstan and windlass, we succeeded in moving the Hecla about her own
length to the eastward, where alone any clear sea was visible. The ice con-
tinuing to open still more in the course of the day, we were at length
enabled to get both ships into open water, after eight hours' incessant labour.
Our first attempt to approach the western coast having thus failed, I
consulted the Greenland Masters, as to what were the most likely means
to be adopted for effecting this object. Mr. Allison thought it would
be advisable to run a degree or two back again to the southward ; while
Mr. Fife was of opinion, that it might be attempted, with better chance
of success, about the latitude of Mount Raleigh, which forms one side of the
narrowest part of Davis' Strait. I determined on the latter, as being more
conformable to the tenor of my instructions ; and a course was accordingly
shaped close along the edge of the ice, which led us considerably to the
eastward of north, in order to take advantage of any opening which might
occur. On getting into clear water, we found that the rudders were much
rubbed by the blows they had received while beset in the ice.
July, On the 1st and 2d of July, we continued to keep close to the edge of the
1st & 2d. ice without perceiving any opening in it. Its outer margin consisted of heavy
detached masses, much washed by the sea, and formed what is technically
called " a pack," this name being given to ice when so closely connected as
not to admit the passage of a ship between the masses. Within the margin
of the pack, it appeared to consist of heavy and extensive floes, having a
bright ice-blink over them ; but no clear water could be discovered to the
westward. The birds, which had hitherto been seen since our first approach
to the ice, were fulmar petrels, little auks, looms, (Uria Brunnkhii,) and a
few glaucous gulls, (harus Glaums.)
Sat. 3. On the morning of the 3d the wind blew strong from the eastward, with a
short breaking sea and thick rainy weather, which made our situation for
some hours rather an unpleasant one, the ice being close under our lee.
Fortunately, however, we weathered it by stretching back a few miles to the
southward. In the afternoon the wind moderated, and we tacked again to
the northward, crossing the Arctic circle at four P.M., in the longitude of
57° 27' W. We passed at least fifty icebergs in the course of the day, many
vt
W>J\-
^
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. U
of them of large dimensions. At a quarter past five P.M., we sounded in 1819.
one hundred and fifteen fathoms ; the water at the surfaee of the sea had the vi^p^
same brownish tinge which has already been noticed, but no difference in
its temperature or specific gravity could be detected. Towards midnight,
the wind having shifted to the south-west, and moderated, another exten-
sive chain of very large icebergs appeared to the northward : as we ap-
proached them the wind died away, and the ships' heads were kept to the
northward, only by the steerage way given to them by a heavy southerly
swell, which, dashing the loose ice with tremendous force against the
bergs, sometimes raised a white spray over the latter to the height of more
than one hundred feet, and being accompanied with a loud noise, exactly
resembling the roar of distant thunder, presented a scene at once sublime and
terrific. We could find no bottom near these icebergs with one hundred and
ten fathoms of line.
At four A.M., on the 4th, we came to a quantity of loose ice, which lay Sun. 4.
straggling among the bergs ; and, as there was a light breeze from the southward,
and I was anxious to avoid, if possible, the necessity of going to the eastward,
I pushed the Hecla into the ice, in the hope of being able to make our way
through it. We had scarcely done so, however, before it fell calm ; when the
ship became perfectly unmanageable, and was for some time at the mercy of
the swell, which drifted us fast towards the bergs. All the boats were
immediately sent a-head to tow ; and the Griper's signal was made, not to
enter the ice. After two hours' hard pulling, we succeeded in getting the
Hecla back again into clear water, and to a sufficient distance from the
icebergs, which it is very dangerous to approach when there is any swell.
At noon we were in lat. 66° 50' 47", long. 56° 47' 56", being near the
middle of the narrowest part of Davis' Strait, which is here not more than
fifty leagues across. Davis, on returning from his third voyage, sets it down
at forty leagues* ; and in another place remarks : " In the latitude of sixtie-
seuen degrees, I might see America, west, from me, and Desolation, (Green-
land), eastf ." The truth of this last remark had been much doubted, till the
observations made on our expedition of 1818, by determining the geographical
position of the two coasts thus seen by Davis, served to confirm the accuracy
of that celebrated and able navigator.
* Hakluyt's Collection of Voyages.
t The Worlde's Hi/drographicall Discription, 1595,
12 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1819. On the 5th, it was necessary to pass through some heavy streams of ice,
^„„^i^ in order to avoid the loss of time by going round to the eastward. On this,
Mon. 5. ag Qjj jnany other occasions, the advantage possessed by a ship of considerable
weight in the water, in separating the heavy masses of ice, was very apparent.
In some of the streams, through which the Hecla passed, a vessel of a
hundred tons less burthen must have been immoveably beset. The Griper
was on this, and many other occasions, only enabled to follow the Hecla by
taking advantage of the openings made by the latter.
Tues. 6. At noon, on the 6th, being in lat. 67° 44' 05 ", long. 57° 46' 26", we had
soundings in one hundred and seventy-two fathoms, on a bottom' of
shining sand, mixed with small black specks. A number of looms were
killed, which being very good to' eat, were served to the officers and
ship's company. A herd of sea-horses (Trichecus Roswiarus) being seen
lying on a piece of ice, our boat succeeded in killing one of them.
These animals usually lie huddled together, like pigs, one over the other,
and are so stupidly tame, as to allow a boat to approach them, within a few
yards, without moving. When, at length, they are disturbed, they dash,
into the water in great confusion. It may be worth remarking, as a proof
how tenacious the walrus sometimes is of life, that the animal killed to-day
struggled violently for ten minutes after it was struck, and towed the
boat twenty or thirty yards, after which, the iron of the harpoon broke ; and
yet it was found, on examination, that the iron barb had penetrated both
auricles of the heart. A quantity of the blubber was put into casks, as a
winter's supply of lamp-oil.
Wed. 7. On the 7th, in standing to the northward, we came to a stream of ice, three
quarters of a mile wide, which obstructed bur passage in that direction. The
wind died away as soon as we had entered the stream, and it required six
hours' rowing in the boats to tow the ships into clear water beyond it. It is
curious to observe, in passing under the lee of ice, however small its extent or
height above the sea, an immediate decrease in thestrengthof the wind. This
effect cannot be attributed to any degree of shelter afforded by the ice, as, in
the cases to which I allude, it is, perhaps, not more than a single foot above
the surface of the sea. At noon, being in lat., by observation, 68° 24' 52", and
in long. 57° 00' 43", we obtained soundings in a hundred and seventy-five
fathoms, on a bottom of greenish-coloured mud, into which the lead sunk several
inches. At two P.M. a thermometer in the sun rose to 70°, the temperature of
the shade being 44°, and the weather perfectly calm and cloudless. The card
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 13
commonly used in Walker's Azimuth Compass had traversed so sluggishly for 1819.
some days past, that it was now found necessary to substitute a lighter one, ^Jtr^
supplied by the maker for this purpose. The looms and tern were numerous
near the ice.
On the 8th, at noon, we observed, in lat. 68° 30' 01", and long. 57° 22' 37",Thurs. 8.
being 6' 51 " to the southward, and 9' 53" to the eastward of the dead reckon-
ing. We sounded in a hundred and seventy-eight fathoms' water, the bottom
being of the same nature as on the preceding day.
On the 9th, having reached the latitude of 68° 45' 53", long. 57° 49' 51", the Frid. 9.
ship was found to have made less northing by eleven miles and three quarters
than the log gave. The soundings were a hundred and fifty-two fathoms, the
lead being covered with soft green mud, mixed with sand and gravel.
Large flocks of tern and looms were seen about the ice. A northerly wind
prevented our making much progress, for the ice was still so compact in every
part as to render it impossible to penetrate to the westward ; and nothing,
therefore, remained to be done but to make the best way we could, by beat-
ing to the northward along the edge of the pack.
On the 10th a thick fog came on, which made great caution necessary in Sat. 10-
sailing, there being a great many icebergs near us. There is, however, even
in the thickest fog, a strong reflection of light from these immense bodies of
ice, which, with an attentive look-out, is generally visible at a sufficient dis-
tance to enable the navigator, if in smooth water, to avoid coming in contact
with them.
At noon, the wind being still against us, we had only reached the lat. of
69° 04' 28", being 9' 49" to the southward of the dead reckoning. The long, by the
chronometers, was 58° 10' 30", being 23' 47" to the eastward of the account in
two days. We obtained soundings in a hundred and sixty-seven fathoms, on
a bottom of green mud,*Avith a little sand and gravel. At night the fog froze
as it fell upon the rigging, making it difficult to work the ship among the ice.
. A large bear (Urms MaritimusJ being seen on a piece of ice, near which we Sun. li.
were passing this morning, a boat was despatched in pursuit, and our people
succeeded in killingand towing it on board. As these animals sink immediately
on being mortally wounded, some dexterity is requisite to secure them, by first
throwing a rope over the neck, at which many of the Greenland seamen are
remarkably expert. It is customary for the boats of the whalers to have two
or three lines coiled in them, which not only gives them great stability, but,
with good management, makes it difficult for a bear, when swimming, to put
1^ VOYAGE FOE, THE DISCOVERY
1819. his paw upon the gunwale, which they generally endeavour to do ; whereas,
,.^1^^ with our boats, which are more light and crank, and therefore very easily
heeled over, I have more than once seen a bear on the point of taking pos-
session of them. Great caution should, therefore, be used under such circum-
stances in attacking these ferocious creatures. We have always found a board-
ing-pike the most useful weapon for this purpose. The lance used by the
whalers will not easily penetrate the skin, and a musket-ball, except when
very close, is scarcely more efficacious.
We sounded at noon in two hundred and two fathoms, being in lat. by ac-
count, 69° 24' 40", long. 58° 16' 42", without making any allowance for the
current, which, for the three preceding days, appeared to have been setting
the ships to the S.S.E., at the rate of from eight to thirteen miles per day.
In the afternoon, on the clearing up of the fog, we found ourselves so sur-
rounded by ice, in every direction, that it became necessary to stretch to the
eastward, to avoid the risk of being again beset, a circumstance which might
have occasioned a serious loss of time. A great number of seals were seen as
we sailed through the ice, but very seldom two together.
Mon. 12. The weather was again so thick on the 12th, that we could seldom see above
three or four hundred yards. The sun being visible, however. Captain Sabine
and myself left the ship, and ascended an iceberg, in order to obtain the me-
ridian altitude, which gave us the lat. of 69° 42' 43", and which was 8' 20"
to the southward of the dead reckoning, our longitude, by account, being
57° 46" 13". Streams of the purest water were flowing from this berg, a luxury
not so often enjoyed by seamen in any other navigation, and which is, per-
haps, of essential importance in the preservation of health, were scurvy is the
disease most to be apprehended. The fog froze so hard upon the sails and
rigging during the night, that I believe some tons were shaken off in the
Tues. 13. morning, to enable us to handle the ropes, and to work the ship with greater
facility. The fields of ice and the icebergs must occasionally, during the
summer, receive a considerable addition by this kind of deposit. Of the lat-
ter when the fog had cleared away for a short time in the evening, we counted
no less than sixty -two of large dimensions, at no great distance from us, be-
sides a number of smaller ones. We were, at noon, in lat. by account, 70° 06" 32",
and in long. 57° 33' 56"", having a hundred and forty -seven fathoms' water, on
a muddy bottom.
Wed. 14. The weather continued so foggy on the 14th, that very little progress could
be made. We caught some fine specimens of the Clio Borealis, called by the
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 15
sailors whales' food, and also of Beroes, which were very numerous near the jgjg
surface of the water. July.
On the 15th, the fog being still as thick as before, our latitude, observed on Thur. 15.
an iceberg, was 70° 28' 52" ; while that observed on board by Lieut. Beechey,
with Captain Kater's altitude-instrument, was 70° 27' 43", the difference accord-
ing exactly with the bearing and distance of the iceberg from the ship. The
longitude was 59° 11' 58", and the variation of the needle, as observed upon
the ice, had increased to 79° 48' westerly. Mr. Fisher made an experiment
on the specific gravity of berg-ice. Having formed a piece of this ice into a
cube, whose sides measured sixty-eight lines, he floated it in a tub of sea-
water, of the specific gravity 1.0256, and at the temperature of 33°, when nine
lines remained above the surface of the Avater, being nearly one-eighth.
On the 16th, in running along the edge of the ice with a fresh breeze from Frid. 16.
the south-west, we passed the Brunswick, whaler, of Hull, beating to the
southward. She crossed within hail of the Griper, and the master informed
Lieutenant Liddon that he had, on the 11th, left a large fleet of fishing-ships
about the latitude of 74°, unable to proceed farther to the northward. We had
been stopped in a similar manner, and in the same place, on the voyage of
1818, which renders it not improbable, that, at this period of the year, the
same obstruction will generally be found to occur about that latitude. The
annual experience of the whalers has, indeed, long ago, made it evident, that
the facility with which a ship may sail up Davis' Strait, depends entirely
upon the season at which the attempt is made. For the first fortnight in
June, it i§ seldom practicable to get much beyond the Island of Disko, or
about the latitude of 69° to 70°. Towards the 20th of that month, the ships
usually reach the great inlet, called North-East Bay ; and, by the end of
June, the ice allows them, though not without great exertion, to penetrate
to the Three Islands of Baffin, which lie just beyond the seventy-fourth
degree of latitude. From that time till about the end of August, the ice
presents almost daily, less and less obstruction ; so that, if the object be
simply to sail as far north as possible into Baffin's Bay, without regard to the
capture of whales, there is every reason to believe that a ship, entering Davis'
Strait on the 1st of July, may sail into the latitude of 74° or 75°, without
meeting with any detention on account of the ice, and, perhaps, without
even seeing the land till she arrive in a high latitude.
On the 17th, the margin of the ice, appearing more open than we had yet Sat. 17.
seen it, and there being some appeai-ance of a " water-sky" to the north-
16 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
west, I was induced to run the ships into the ice, though the weather was
too thick to allow us to see more than a mile or two in that direction. We
were, at noon, in latitude 72° 00' 21", longitude 59° 46' 18", the depth of
water being one hundred and ninety fathoms, on a muddy bottom. The
wind shortly after died away, as usual, and, after making a number of tacks,
in order to gain all we could to the westward, we found ourselves so closely
hemmed in by the ice on every side, that there was no longer room to work
the ships, and we therefore made them fast to a floe, till the weather should
clear up. The afternoon was employed in taking on board a supply of water
from the floe. It may be proper at once to remark that, from this time till
the end of the voyage, snow-water was exclusively made use of on board the
ships for every purpose. During the summer months, it is found in abun-
dance in pools upon the floes and icebergs, and in the Winter snow was
dissolved in the coppers for our daily consumption. The fog cleared away
in the evening, when we perceived that no further progress could be made
through the ice, into which we had sailed to the westward about twelve
miles. We were, therefore, once more under the necessity of returning
to the eastward, lest a change of v/ind should beset the ships in their
present situation. Previously, however, to our return, we made some ob-
servations, on the ice, for the variation and dip of the magnetic needle,
the foi-mer of which was found to be 80° 55' 27" W., and the latten'84i° ;4<' 9".
Sun. 18. A thick fog came on again at night, and prevailed till near noon on the 18th
when we came to a close but narrow stream of ice, lying exactly across our
course, and at right angles to the main body of the ice. As this stream
extended to the eastward as far as we could see from the " crow's nest," an
endeavour was made to push the ships with all sail through the narrowest
part. The facility with which this operation, technically called "boring," is
perfonned, depends chiefly on having a fresh and free wind, with which we
were not favoured on this occasion ; so that, when we had forced the ships about
one hundred yards into the ice, their way was completely stopped. The
stream consisted of such small pieces of ice, that when an attempt was made
to warp the ships a-head by fastening lines to some of the heaviest masses
near them, the ice itself came home, without the ships being moved for-
ward. Every effort to extricate them from this helpless situation proved
fruitless for more than two hours, when the Hecla was at length backed out,
and succeeded in pushing through another part of the stream in which a small
opening appeared just at that moment. All our boats were immediately
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 17
despatched to the assistance of the Griper, which still remained beset, and 1819.
which no effort could move in any direction. We at length resorted to v^^J-^
the expedient of sending a whale-line to her from the Hecla, and then
making all sail upon the latter ship, we succeeded in towing her out, head
to wind, till she was enabled to proceed in clear water. The crossing of
this stream of ice, of which the breadth scarcely exceeded three hundred
yards, occupied us constantly for more than five hours and may ^eive as an
example of the detention to which ships are liable in this kind of navigation.
In the course of the afternoon, one of the Hecla's boats was upset by the
ice, and Mr. Palmer, with all her crew, thrown out of her; but, by getting
upon the ice, they fortunately escaped with no other injury than a thorough
wetting.
The wind having veered to the northward, we tacked ofF and on, beating Mon. 19.
along the edge of the ice, in which no opening appeared, to encourage a
hope of getting through it to the westward. At noon we had reached the
lat. of 72° 31' 58", and long. 59° 03' 54'", our soundings being one hundred
and forty-two fathoms, on a muddy bottom. In the afternoon, a ship
running to the southward, and which we supposed to be one of the home-
ward-bound whalers, passed us at the distance of seven miles.
At noon, on the 20th, we were in lat., by account, 72° 57' 31 ", long. 58° 40' 57", Tue». 20.
and the depth of water was one hundred and twenty fathoms, the bottom
consisting of mud, with small black stones. At this time, the weather being
perfectly calm, with a thick fog, we perceived that a current, setting to the
S.S.W.,was drifting the ship towards a large iceberg in that direction ; and a
quantity of floe-ice, which was driving the same way, threatened to enclose
us between it and the berg. All the boats were instantly lowered, and sent
a-head to tow, by which means we cleared the berg, just one minute before
the floe-ice came forcibly in contact with it, surrounding it on every side.
This iceberg was about one hundred and forty feet high in one part, and froiii
the soundings we obtained near it, must have been aground in one hundred
and twenty fathoms, so that its whole height was about eight hundred and
sixty feet. The weather continued so foggy during the rest of the day, that
it required our utmost attention to keep clear of the numerous ice-bergs which
lay in our way.
Early on the morning of the 21st, the fog cleared away, and discovered to wgd. 21.
us the land called by Davis Hope Sanderson, and the Woman's Islands,
being the first land we had seen invading northwards into Baffin's Bay, from
D
IS VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
181.9. the lat. of 63|°. We found ourselves in the midst of a great number of
viiiX/ very high icebergs, of which I counted from the crow's nest, eighty-eight,
besides many smaller ones. We tacked immediately to the westward, in
order to take advantage of the only clear weather we had enjoyed for the
last fourteen days, to examine the state of the ice, and observed at noon, in
lat. 72° 58' 13", the long., by chronometers, being 58° 42' 11". The
soundings were two hundred and twenty-eight fathoms, muddy-bottom,
having deepened from one hundred and six, in sailing eight miles to the
westward.
Having now reached the latitude of 73°, without seeing a single opening
in the ice, and being unwilling to increase our distance from Sir James Lan-
caster's Sound, by proceeding much farther to the northward, I determined
once more to enter the ice in this place, and to try the experiment of
forcing our way through it, in order to get into the open sea, which the
experience of the former voyage led me to believe we should find upon the
western coast of Baffin's Bay. This determination was strengthened by the
recollection of the serious obstructions we had met with the preceding
year, in the neighbourhood of Prince Regent's Bay, where greater detention,
as well as danger, had been experienced, than on any other part of that
coast. Being now, therefore, favoured with clear weather, and a moderate
breeze from the south-eastward, we ran into the ice, which, for the first
two miles, consisted of detached pieces, but afterwards of floes of con-
siderable extent, and six or seven feet in thickness. The wind died away
towards midnight, and the weather was serene and clear. The altitude of
the sun on the meridian below the pole, gave the latitude 72° 59' 13", being
11' 57" to the southward of that deduced from the observations of the
preceding and following noons, which error may, perhaps, be attributed to the
elevation of the horizon by terrestrial refraction. The temperature of the air
at this time was 40° ; of the water, 34°, and the barometer stood at 29.57
inchfes. A large bear was seen on one of the floes, and we passed the tracks
of many others.
Thur. 22. On the 22d. the wind was light from the eastward, and we made very
little progress. We had occasionally to heave the ships through with
hawsers, between the heavy masses of ice, which became more and more
close as we advanced, till, at length, towards the evening, we were fairly
beset, there being no open water in sight from the mast-head in any quarter
of the compass. Some hands were kept constantly employed in heaving
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 19
the ships through the ice, taking advantage of every occasional opening 1819-
which presented itself, by which means we advanced a few hundred yards ^yli,'
to the westward during the night.
At six, A.M., on the 23d, a thick fog came on, which rendered it impos- Frid. 23.
sible to see our way any further. It often happens, in thick weather, that
much distance is lost by ships taking a wrong " lead," as the channels
between floes of ice are technically called; so that, on the weather
clearing, it is discovered, when too late, that another opening, perhaps
a few yards only from that through which they had sailed, would have
conducted them into clear water. We, therefore, warped to an iceberg,
to which the ships were made fast at noon, to wait the clearing up
of the fog, being in lat. 73° 04-' 10", long. 60° 09' 07". The soundings
were one hundred and ninety -seven fathoms, on a muddy bottom, and
the variation of the needle 82° 33' 21" westerly. Some observations
on the intensity of the magnetic force, by Captain Sabine, will be found
in the Appendix. At eight, P.M., the weather cleared up, and a few
small pools of open water were seen here and there, but the ice was
generally as close as before, and the wind being to the westward of north,
it was not deemed advisable to move. When ships are thus beset, there
is a great advantage in securing them to the largest body of ice that can be
found, and particularly to the bergs, as they are by this means better
enabled to retain their situation, the drift of the ice being generally less,
in proportion to its depth under water. Another advantage in securing a
ship to an iceberg is, that these bodies usually keep a small space of clear
water under their lee, in consequence of the quicker drift of the floes and
loose ice to leeward. It not unfrequently happens that a ship is thus dragged
into clear water, as the sailors express it, that is, that the whole of the
floe-ice is carried to leeward past the berg to which the ship is attached,
leaving her at length in an open sea.
The ice appearing to open a little in the W.N.W., on the morning of the Sat. 24.
24th, preparations were made for warping the ships in that direction, the
wind being still to the westward of north, but the fog came on again so
thick, that it was necessary still to remain at the berg. At noon, by our
observations, we were in lat. 72° 59' 50", long. 60° 07' 54", making a drift
of four miles and two-thirds in twenty-four hours, in a S. 1° E. direction.
The soundings had deepened to two hundred and sixty-five fathoms, the
bottom being light-green mud. The afternoon was occupied in obtaining
20 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1819 azimuths on board the Hecla, with her head on different points of the
July, compass, in order to ascertain the amount of the irregularities of the magnetic
needle produced by local attraction. These observations will be found in
■ the Appendix, and by comparison with those previously made at Northfleet,
will serve to shew in what degree the irregularities alluded to had increased
with the increase of dip, and with the consequent diminution in the
directive power of the earth's magnetism upon the needle.
Sun. 2.5. The weather being clear on the morning of the 25th, and a few narrow
lanes of water appearing to the westward, the Griper was made fast astern
of the Hecla ; and her crew being sent to assist in manning our capstan, we
proceeded to warp the ships through the ice. This method, which is often
adopted by our whalers, has the obvious advantage of applying the whole
united force in separating the masses of ice which lie in the way of the first
ship, allowing the second, or even third, to follow close astern, with very
little obstruction. In this manner we had advanced about four miles to the
westward, by eight P.M., after eleven hours of very laborious exertion ; and
. having then come to the end of the clear water, and the weather being again
foggy, the ships were secured in a deep " bight," or bay in a floe, called by
the sailors a " natural dock." An extra allowance of meat and spirits was
served to the ship's companies, and all hands were permitted to go to rest
till the state of the weather and of the ice should become more favourable.
Mon.26. Early on the morning of the 26th, there was clear water as far as we
could see to the westward, which on account of the fog, did not exceed the
distance of three hundred yards. We made sail, however, and having
groped our way for about half a mile, found the ice once more close in every
direction, except that in which we had been sailing, obliging us to make
the ships fast to a floe. I sent a boat away to endeavour to find a lane of
clear water leading to the westward. She returned on board in an hour,
without success, having with difficulty found her way to the ship, by our mus-
quets, and other signals. The latitude here, by obsei-vation, was 73° 02' 17",
long., by chronometers, 60° 11' 52", by which the drift of the ice in the last
twenty-four hours appears to have been N. 1° E., five miles and three
quarters, or in a direction nearly opposite to that of the wind. The
soundings were two hundred and eight fathoms, on a muddy bottom.
At half-past three, P.M., the weather cleared up, and a few narrow lanes
of water being seen to the westward, every exertion was immediately made
to get into them, , On beginning to heave, however, we found that the
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 21
" hole" of water, in which the Hecla lay, was now so completely enclosed 18I9.
by ice, that no passage out of it could be found. We tried every corner, ^,lij
but to no purpose ; all the power we could apply being insufficient to move
the heavy masses of ice which had fixed themselves firmly between us and
the lanes of water without. In the mean time. Lieutenant Liddon had
succeeded in advancing about three hundred yards, and had placed the
Griper's bow between two heavy floes, which it was necessary to separate
before any further progress could be made. Both ships continued to heave
at their hawsers occasionally, as the ice appeared to slacken a little, by which
means they were now and then drawn a-head a few inches at a time, but did
not advance more than half-a-dozen yards in the course of the night. By our
nearing several bergs to the northward, the ice appeared to be drifting in that
direction, the wind being moderate from the southward.
About three A.M., by a sudden motion of the ice, we succeeded in getting Tues. 27.
the Hecla out of her confined situation, and ran her up astern of the Griper.
The clear water had made so much to the westward, that a narrow neck of
ice was all that was now interposed between the ships and a large open
space in that quarter. Both ships' companies were, therefore, ordered upon
the ice to saw off the neck, when the floes suddenly opened sufficiently to
allow the Griper to push through under all sail. No time was lost in the
attempt to get the Hecla through after her, but, by one of those accidents
to which this navigation is liable, and which renders it so precarious and un-
certain, a piece of loose ice which lay between the two ships, was drawn
after the Griper by the eddy produced by her motion, and completely
blocked the narrow passage through which we were about to follow. Before
we could remove this obstruction by hauling it back out of the channel, the
floes were again pressed together, wedging it finnly and immoveably
betwixt them ; the saws were immediately set to work, and used with o-reat
effect, but it was not till eleven o'clock that we succeeded, after seven hours'
labour, in getting the Hecla into the lanes of clear water which opened more
and more to the westward. Our latitude, by account at noon, was 73° 05' 56 ",
the longitude 60° 24! 27".
Being now favoured with a fresh breeze from the S.E.b.S., we made con-
siderable progress, though on a very crooked course, to the northward and
westward. In one respect the character of the ice was here altered, as we
found a great many floes of " young" or " bay" ice, which had probably
been newly formed in the sheltered situations afforded by the larger floes.
m VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
To avoid the necessity of going round, or where no other channel presented
itself, we ran through several of these bay-floes, which were from four to six
inches thick, ploughing up the ice before the ship's stem, at the rate of five
miles an hour. If they were not very broad, the Hecla did not lose her
Way in passing through them. Frequently, however, she was stopped in
the middle, which made it necessary to saw and break the ice a-head, till
she made another start, and, having run a short distance in clear water, was
again imbedded in the same manner. We passed one field of ice, about ten
feet in thickness, and many miles in length, as we could not see over it
from the mast-head. This was the only " field," according to the definition
ir- applied to that term by the whalers, that I had ever seen in Baffin's Bay.
About eleven P.M. the lanes of open water a-head became very contracted, and
at half-past eleven, in endeavouring to force through a floe, under a heavy press
of canvass, the Hecla was completely wedged in, having run her own length
into it, though its thickness was between a foot and eighteen inches. In the
course of this day's sailing, the ships received many severe blows from the
ice, but apparently suffered no damage. The concussions which the chrono-
meters experienced, were, perhaps, such as few watches of this kind had
ever before been exposed to ; but we did not subsequently discover that any
alteration had taken place in their rates, in consequence of them. n:, ,•
Wed. 28. The wind continued to blow strong from the south-east with heavy-rain ;•
and at half-past three A.M., after several hours' sawing, in which the men
suffered much from wet and fatigue, we succeeded in getting clear ; but after
' running a quarter of a mile, Avere again beset in the same manner. By the
time the Griper had joined us, we had once more unavoidably hampered the
Hecla among the ice, and did not succeed in extricating her till four P.M.,
after which we found so much clear water as we proceeded, that, with the
exception of a few streams and " patches," which we met with on the
following day, and through which the ships sailed without much difficulty,
we had now passed every impediment which obstructed our passage to
Sir James Lancaster's Sound. The breadth of this barrier of ice, which
occupies the middle of Baffin's Bay, and which had never before been crossed
in this latitude at the same season, was eighty miles, in a N. 63° W. direc-
tion. I have been thus particular and minute, perhaps tediously so,
in detailing our endeavours to obtain a passage through the ice to the
western coast of Baffin's Bay, in order to shew how necessary it is to per-
severe and not to be discouraged by frequent failures, nor deterred from
'■;. f):
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 2^
entering the ice by the apprehension of being beset. By taking advantage
of every little opening that is afforded, I believe that a strong-built vessel of
proper size and weight may, in most seasons, be pushed through this barrier
which occupies the centre part of Baffin's Bay, about this parallel of latitude.
It must, at the same time, be confessed, that, had we not been favoured
with strong south-easterly winds, it would probably have required several
days longer to effect this passage.
On the 29th, we had so much clear water, that the ships had a very per- Thur. 29.
ceptible pitching motion, which, from the closeness of the ice, does not
very often occur in the Polar regions, and which is, therefore, hailed with
pleasure, as an indication of an open sea. At noon we had reached, by the i
dead reckoning, the latitude of 73° 51' 17", and longitude 67° 47' 51 ", and
we could find no bottom with three hundred and ten fathoms of line. At
five P. M. the swell increased considerably, and, as the wind freshened up
from the north-east, the ice gradually disappeared ; so that by six o'clock we
were sailing in an open sea, perfectly free from obstruction of any kind.
During the time we had been beset among the ice, the temperature of the
air, in the shade, had varied from 28° to 38°, except in very clear and calm
weather, when the thennometer had occasionally risen to 4<>i°. The tem-
perature of the water had been almost uniformly from 31° to 33°, but
soon after our leaving the ice this evening, it increased to 37°, which tem-
perature continued for a run of sixty-three miles to the westward, and then
fell to 32° and 33°, till we had entered Sir James Lancaster's Sound.
At four A. M. on the 30th, two or three ice-bergs were in sight, being the Frid. 30.
first we had seen since leaving the ice to the eastward. It is probable that
these, together with some streams of ice which occurred in the afternoon, pro-
duced the diminution in the temperature of the sea, to which I have alluded
above, and which took place soon after noon on this day. The Griper detain-
ing us considerably, and the sea being now sufficiently open to allow us to
take her in tow, we hove-to at nine A. M. for that purpose.
We now seemed all at once to have got into the head-quarters of the
whales. They were so numerous that I directed the number to be counted
during each watch, and no less than eighty-two are mentioned in this day's
log. Mr. Allison, the Greenland master, considered them generally as
large ones, and remarked, that a fleet of whalers might easily have obtained
a cargo here in a few days. It is, I believe, a common idea among the
Greenland fishermen, that the presence of ice is necessary to ensure the
24) VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1819. finding of whales; but we had no ice in sight to-day, when they were
J^J^ most numerous. At noon we observed, in lat. 74° 01' 57", being the first
meridian altitude we had obtained for four days, and differing from the
dead reckoning only two miles, which is remarkable, considering the slug-
gishness of the compasses, and would seem to afford a presumptive proof
that no southerly current exists in this part of Baffin's Bay. The longitude,
by chronometers, was 75° 02' 14.". In the afternoon the wind broke us
off from the N. N. W., which obliged us to cast off the Griper, and we carried
all sail a-head to make the land. We saw it at half-past five P. M., being the
high land about Possession Bay, and at the same time several streams of loose
but heavy ice came in sight, which a fresh breeze was drifting fast to thie
south-eastward. Sir James Lancaster's Sound was now open to the westward
of us, and the experience of our former voyage had given us reason to believe
that the two best months in the year for the navigation of these seas were yet
to come. This consideration, together with the magnificent view of the lofty
Byam Martin mountains, which forcibly recalled to our minds the events of
the preceding year, could not fail to animate us with expectation and hope.
If any proof were wanting of the value of local knowledge in the navigation of
the Polar Seas, it would be amply furnished by the fact of our having now
reached the entrance of Sir James Lancaster's Sound just one month earlier
than we had done in 1818, although we had then sailed above a fortnight
sooner, with the same general object in view, namely, to penetrate to the
western coast of Baffin's Bay, where alone the North-west Passage was to be
sought for. This difference is to be attributed entirely to the confidence which I
felt, from the experience gained on the former voyage, that an open sea would
be found to the westward of the barrier of ice which occupies the middle of
Baffin's Bay. Without that confidence, it would have been little better than
madness to have attempted a passage through so compact a body of ice, when
no indication of a clear sea appeared beyond it.
The Hecla's cables were bent, and the Griper's signal made to do the same.
As we approached the land, the wind drew directly out of the sound, which is
commonly found to be the case in inlets of, this nature, in which the wind
generally blows directly up or down. A flock of white ducks, believed to be
male eider-ducks, were seen in the afternoon, flying to the eastward.
Sat- 31. - The wind increased to a fresh breeze on the morning of the 31st, whicli
pi-evented our making much way to the westward. We stood in towards Cape
Byam Martin, and sounded in eighty fathoms on a rocky bottom, at the distance
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. M
of two miles in an east direction from it. We soon after discovered the flag-
staff which had been erected on Possession Mount on the former expedition ;
an object which, though insignificant in itself, called up every person imme-
diately on deck to look at and to greet it as an old acquaintance. The Griper
being considerably astern, I thought it a good opportunity to go on shore,
in order to make some observations, while she was coming up. Captain
Sabine and myself, therefore, left the ship, and landed in the same spot,
near the mouth of the stream in Possession Bay, where observations had
been made the preceding year. We found so much surf on the beach as to
make it necessary to haul the boat up, to prevent her being stove. A
number of loose pieces of ice had been thrown up above the ordinary high-
water mark ; some of these were so covered by the sand which the sea
had washed over them, that we were at a loss to know what they were, till
a quantity of it had been removed. From the situation and appearance of
these masses, it occurred to some of us that similar masses, found under
ground in those spots called Kaltusw, in the islands near the coast of Siberia,
might thus have been originally deposited.
The land immediately at the back of Possession Bay rises in a gentle
slope from the sea, presenting an open and extensive space of low ground,
flanked by hills to the north and south. In this valley, and even on the hills,
to the height of six or seven hundred feet above the sea, there was scarcely
any snow, but the mountains at the back were completely covered with it.
Tlie bed of the stream which winds along the valley is in many places several
hundred yards wide, and in some parts from thirty to forty feet deep; but the
quantity of water which it contained at this season was extremely small
in proportion to the width between the banks, not exceeding forty feet on
an average, and from one to three feet only in depth near the mouth of the
stream. This feature is common in every part of the Polar regions in
which we have landed ; the beds, or ravines, being probably formed by the
annual dissolution of the snow during a long series of years. Some pieces
of birch-bark having been picked up in the bed of this stream, in 1818, which
gave reason to suppose that wood might be found growing in the interior, I
directed Mr. Fisher to walk up it, accompanied by a small party, and to occupy
an hour or two, while the Griper was coming up, and Captain Sabine and
myself were employed upon the beach, in examining the nature and pro-
ductions of the country.
Mr. Fisher reported, on his return, that he had folio^wed the stream betsyieea
E
26 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1819. three and four miles, where it turned to the south-west, without discovering
v^^-v-'L' any indications of a wooded country ; but a sufficient explanation respecting
the birch-bark was, perhaps, furnished by his finding, at the distance of a
quarter of a mile from the sea, a piece of whalebone two feet ten inches in
length, and two inches in breadth, having a number of circular holes very
neatly and regularly perforated along one of its edges, and which had un-
doubtedly formed part of an Esquimaux sledge. This circumstance affording
a proof of the Esquimaux having visited this part of the coast at no very distant
period, it was concluded that the piece of bark, above alluded to, had been
brought hither by these people. From the appearance of the whalebone, it
might have been lying there for four or five years. That none of the Esqui-
maux tribe had visited this part of the coast since we landed there in
1818, was evident from the flag-staff then erected still remaining untouched.
Mr. Fisher found every part of the valley quite free from snow as high
as he ascended it ; and the following fact seems to render it probable that no
great quantity either of snow or sleet had fallen here since our lasl visit.
. Mr. Fisher had not proceeded far, till, to his great surprise, he encountered
the tracks of human feet upon the banks of the stream, which appeared so
fresh, that he at first imagined them to have been recently made by some
natives, but which, on examination, were distinctly ascertained to be the
marks of our own shoes made eleven months before.
The only animals we met with were a fox, a raven, CCorvus Corax,) some
ring-plovers, (Charadrius Hiaticula,) snow-buntings, and a Avild bee, (Apis
Alpina.J Several tracks of bears and of a cloven-footed animal, probably
the rein-deer, were also observed upon the moist ground. Three black whales
were seen in the bay, and the crown-bones of several others were lying
near the beach. Considerable tufts of moss and of grass occur in this
valley, principally in those parts which are calculated to retain the water
produced by the melting of the snow. Indeed, moisture alone seems ne-
cessary to the growth of a variety of plants which are found in this dreary
climate, and of which a detailed account will be given in the Appendix.
Mr. Fisher, who had an opportunity of examining some of the fixed rocks,
considered them to consist principally of basalt. A great quantity of lime-
stone was found in the valley, together with pieces of granite, quartz, feldspar,
trap, and sandstone.
The latitude observed at the mouth of the stream was 73° 31' 16", and the
longitude by the chronometers, 77° 22' 21", the latter differing only 1' 30" to
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. Sfif
the eastward of that obtained on the same spot, by No. 509 of Earnshaw, 1819
the preceding year. The dip of the needle was 86° 03' 42", and the variation J^!^
108° 46' 35", westerly, agreeing nearly with that observed by Lieutenant
Hoppner, in 1818. At half-past ten A.M., when we landed, the tide was
falling by the shore, and continued to do so till about half an hour before
noon ; the surf on the beach, however, did not allow me to determine the
time Avith very great precision. By the mean of our observations made now,
and in the foregoing year, the time of high water on full and change days,
would appear to be about a quarter past eleven. At two P.M., the water
had risen two feet and a half, and the whole rise of tide, as nearly as we
could judge from the marks on the beach, may be from six to eight feet.
The stream certainly came from the northward and westward along the shore
of the bay, during the time that the tide was rising ; and Lieut. Beechey
observed, that, in running along shore, in a south-easterly direction, the
ship seemed to go much faster by the land than she sailed through the water.
It is more than probable, therefore, that the flood comes from the north-
westward on this particular part of the coast. Near the spot on which we
made the observations, a bottle was buried containing an account of our visit,
and a pile of stones and earth raised over it.
In approaching Possession Bay, the colour of the water was observed to
change to a light green, at the distance of two or two and a half miles from the
shore, but there was no other appearance of shoal water, and we could find no
bottom with sixty and seventy fathoms of line, well within it ; we had four-
teen fathoms, on a sandy bottom, at a cable's length from the beach.
Having finished our observations, we returned on board, and made all sail
for the Sound ; but the wind blowing still from the westward, the progress of
the ships was but slow in that direction. The sea was perfectly free from
ice, except a single berg, and one or two narrow though heavy streams,
which offered, however, little or no obstruction to the navigation.
Annexed is an abstract of the Meteorological Journal for the month of
July.
ABSTRACT of the METEOROLOGICAL JOURNAL kept on board His
Majesty's Ship Hecla, at Sea,
.-
during the Month oi July, 1819.
Temperature
in shade
of Mr
Sea Water at the
surface.
Barometer.
Prevailing Winds.
Prevailing Weal'
Day
1
iMaxi-
Mini-
Mean.
Tempe-
rature.
Specific
Gravity.
Tempera-
ture >rhen
weighed.
Masi-
Mini-
Mean.
o
39
+
o
34
+
36.33
33.2
1.0260
O
53
inclies.
29.83
inches.
29.78
inches.
29.800
W.S.W.
Moderate breezes and fine.
2
37.5
35.5
36.25
33.3
1. 0.-60
53
29.78
29.70
29.753
S.W.
Ditto
3
4
5
35
33
33
30
30.5
29
33.33
31.58
30.83
31.5
30
30.8
1.02C0
1.0261
1.0260
53
51
54
29.61
29.42
29.48.
29.10
29.35
29.35
29.302
29.387
29.403 ;
S.E.
Calm
West
Moderate and cloudy. Sn' .' and rain
at times.
Occasional light airs from th northward.
Fogffy weather.
Light breezes and hazy.
6
38
31
34.42
33.1
1.0253
57
29.54
29.42
29.505
S.W.
Liglit breezes and fine.
7
46
34
39.83
35.8
1.0257
57
29.59
29.51
29.550
5 A.M. S.S.E.
t P.M. Calm
Light airs and fine.
Fine weather.
8
40
34
37.75
37.2
1.0260
57
29.68
29.60
29.029
N orth
Light airs and cloudy.
9
34
30
32.25
32.7
1.0254
54
29.74
29.69
29.721
N.N.E.
Light airs and cloudy, with snow.
10
32
28
30.00
31.5
1.0252
.53.5
29.80
29.75
29.787
N.N.W.
Light breezes and foggy
11
32
26
29.50
30.8
1.0256
54
29.77
29.73
29.761
N.W.
Ditto.
12
33.5
28
30.50
32.1
1.0252
54
29.66
29.63
29.037
N.N.W.
Moderate breezes and foggy.
13
32
31
31.67
33.2
1.0256
55
29.90
29.72
29.829 '
( A.M. N.N.W. ]
[ P.M. Westerly, j
Light breezes and foggy.
1 ^*
36.5
28.5
32.83
34.2
1.0256
55
29.90
29.84
29.878
S.S.E.
Ditto
15
31
28
29.83
32.5
1.0250
5S.5
29.91
29.81
29.875
N.b.W.
Light breezes and hazy.
16
30
27
33.00
34.2
1.0255
59
29.90
29.76
29.852
S.S.E.
Light breezes and cloudy.
17
34
31
33.50
32.8
1.0217
5S
29.84
29.71
29.783
West
Light breezes and foggy, ^\ ith rain.
18
33
30.5
32.00
32.1
1.0247
56
29.90
29.79
29.827
5 A.M. S.W. \
I P.M.N.N.E. 5
Light breezes and foggy, with snow.
19
34
29
31.00
33
1.0247
56
29.93
29.90
29.912
North
Light breezes and foggy, with small snow.
20
30
27
28.50
32.2
1.0250
56
29.84
29.70
29.791
N.N.W.
Light breezes and foggy.
21
42
27
37.67
33.8
1.0243
58
29.03
29.56
29.5S8
5 From north round >
<byeasttoS.E.bE.5
Light airs; occasional calms.
22
45
34
39.75
33
1.0183
58
29.62
29.58
29.605
East
Light airs and fine clear weather.
23
36
29
31.50
31.4
1.0252
55
29.70
29.62
29.665
N.W. b. W.
Light breezes and foggy.
24
37
31
33.75
31.4
29.83
29.60
29.7.-,9
N.N.W.
Light airs and foggy.
25
40
32
35.42
31.3
29.89
29.84
29.870
Westerly.
Light breezes and fine clear weather
20
35
28
32.33
31.9
1.0185
59
29.85
29.82
29.838
■ s-t
Light breezes and foggy weather.
27
35
33
33.75
32.0
29.00
29.74
29.842
S.E. b.E.
Moderate breezes and hazy weather.
23
29
30
33
37
38
33
33
33
33.00
34.25
36.25
31.7
33.1
34.8
1.0240
1.0242
1.0255
59
59
53
29.71
, 29.52
29.54
29.53
29.49
2^.51
29.615
29.507
29.525
S.E.b.S.
East
N.N.W.
Fresh breezes and hazy, with continued
heavy lain.
Fresh breezes and foggy, with rain at
times.
Fresh breezes and fine.
31
43
35
37.08
32.6
1.0250
65
29.51
29.50
29.505
N.W.b.W.
Ditto.
46
26
33.51
32.68
1
29.93
29.10
29.687
1
>M™ M™"
-^-r^
j4 itwnunient was erecteei
I**:Niaj-The. ^liclaiess of the
ofy the point at ■ wajj^ty^
CJSccdicu
Liddon's
*y
Cjroppn^
-J Taile lull-&
Winter Haib°^
29
CHAPTER II.
ENTRANCE INTO SIR JAMES LANCASTER'S SOUND OF BAFFIN— UNINTER-
RUPTED PASSAGE TO THE WESTWARD — DISCOVERY AND EXAMINATION
OF PRINCE REGENTS INLET — PROGRESS TO THE SOUTHWARD STOPPED
BY ICE — RETURN TO THE NORTHWARD — PASS BARROW's STRAIT, AND
ENTER THE POLAR SEA.
We were now about to enter and to explore that great sound or inlet which
has obtained a degree of celebrity beyond what it might otherwise have been
considered to possess, from the very opposite opinions which have been held
with regard to it. To us it was peculiarly interesting, as being the point to
which our instructions more particularly directed our attention ; and, I may
add, what I believe we all felt, it was that point of the voyage which was to
determine the success or failure of the expedition, according as one or other
of the opposite opinions alluded to should be corroborated. It will readily
be conceived, then, how great our anxiety was for a change of the westerly
wind and swell, which, on the 1st of August, set down Sir James Lancaster's
Sound, and prevented our making much progress. We experienced also
another source of anxiety. The relative sailing qualities of the two ships were
found to have altered so much, that we were obliged to keep the Hecla under
easy sail the whole day, to allow the Griper to keep up with us, although the
latter had hitherto kept way with her consort, when sailing by the wind. The
ships stretched to the northward across the entrance of the sound, meeting oc-
casionally with some loose and heavy streams of ice, and were at noon in lati-
tude, by observation, 73° 55' 18", and in longitude, by the chronometers,
77° 40'. Several whales were seen in the course of the day, and Mr. Allison
remarked, that this was the only part of Baffin's Bay in which he had ever seen
young whales ; for it is a matter of surprise to the whalers in general, that they
I8I9.
Auffust.
Sun. ].
30 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1819. seldom or never meet with young ones on this fishery, as they are accustomed
Ji^I!^* to do in the seas of Spitzbergen.
The Griper continued to detain us so much that I determined on making
the best of our way to the westward, that no more time than was necessary
might be occupied in the examination of the bottom of Sir James Lancaster's
Sound, provided it should be found to be an inlet surrounded by land. I
was the more inclined to do this, from the circumstance of the sea being so
clear of ice, as to offer no impediment to the navigation, which rendered it
next to impossible that the two ships should not meet each other again ; and
it seemed to me to be of considerable importance to obtain as early informa-
tion as possible whether a passage did or did not exist there, as, in the latter
event, we should have to proceed still further to the northward in search of
one through some of the other sounds of Baffin; besides, the farther north we
had to go, the shorter would the navigable season be to allow us to explore
these sounds. On these considerations I ordered the Hecla to be hove to in
the evening, and sent Lieutenant Liddon an instruction, with some signals,
which might facilitate our meeting in case of fog : and I appointed as a place
of rendezvous the meridian of 85° west, and as near the middle of the Sound
as circumstances would permit. As soon, therefore, as the boat returned from
the Griper, we carried a press of sail, and, in the course of the evening, saw
the northern shore of the Sound looming through the clouds which hung
over it.
Mon. 2. It fell calm on the morning of the 2d, and at nine A.M., we sounded with
the deep-sea clamms, and found one thousand and fifty fathoms by the line,
on a bottom of mud and small stones ; but I believe the depth of water did
not exceed eight or nine hundred fathoms, the ship's drift being considerable
on account of the swell. It should be remarked, also, that where the sound-
ings exceed five or six hundred fathoms, even in very calm weather, the
actual depth must, in the usual way of obtaining it, be a matter of some
uncertainty, for the weight of the line causes it to run out with a velocity
not perceptibly diminished, long after the lead or the clamms have struck the
ground. The clamms being now down, we were about to try the set of the
current, by mooring a boat to the line, when the breeze again sprung up from
the westward and prevented it. At noon we were in latitude by observation,
74° 30' 03'., and in longitude 78° 01'., Cape Osborn bearing N. 79° W.
distant forty-one miles.
The weather being clear in the evening, we had the first distinct view of
i^-'ez//f' ■yi!y/./'/(,y"r . I'. S6' M .'^
^l/UZ /^' i7i€ /ii^tiCll'iil cf- <y^ty/llJ ■^ilL'HCi//l£/ll .
F. W:£eechry del.
i/t^yi&i ^4i(^/ia;7i&/?^^-f. /c°/f.
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 31
both sides of the Sound, and the difference in the character of the two shores 1819.
was very apparent, that on the south consisting of high and peaked moun- ^^^^'
tains, completely snow-clad, except on the lower parts, while the northern
coast, has generally a smoother outline, and had comparatively with the
other, little snow upon it ; the difference in this last respect, appearing to
depend principally on the difference in their absolute height. The sea was
open before us, free from ice or land ; and the Hecla pitched so much from
the westerly swell in the course of the day, as to throw the water once or
twice into the stern windows, a circumstance which, together with other
appearances, we were willing to attribute to an open sea in the desired
direction. More than forty black whales were seen during the day.
We had alternately fresh breezes from the westward, and calms on the morn- Tues. 3.
ing of the 3d, when we had only gained eight or nine miles upon the Griper,
which we observed coming up the Sound before an easterly wind, with all
her studding sails set, while we had a fresh breeze from the westward. In
the fore-noon we were between Capes Warrender and Osborn, and had a
good view of Sir George Hope's Monument, which proved to be a dark-
looking and conspicuous hill on the main land, and not an island, as it
appeared to be when at a distance, on our former voyage.
A solitary iceberg being near us. Captain Sabine, Lieutenant Beechey,
and Mr. Hooper, were sent upon it to observe the variation of the needle and
the longitude, and to take angles for the survey, a base being measured by
Massey's log between the ship and the berg. We here obtained soundino-s
in three hundred and seventy-three fathoms, the bottom consisting of mud
and small stones, of which a small quantity was brought up in the clamms. By
a boat moored to this instrument, a tide or current was found to set north
65° E., at the rate of seven-eighths of a mile per hour; the variation observed
upon the iceberg was 106° 58' 05" westerly. At noon, we were in latitude
74° 25' 31", long. 80° 04' 30".
Being favoured at length by the easterly breeze which was bringing up the
Griper, and for which we had long been looking with much impatience, a crowd
of sail was set to carry us with all rapidity to the westward. It is more easy
to imagine than to describe the almost breathless anxiety which was now visible
in every countenance, while, as the breeze increased to a fresh gale, we ran
quickly up the sound. The mast-heads were crowded by the officers and men
during the whole afternoon ; and an unconcerned observer, if any could have
been unconcerned on such an occasion, would have been amused bv the
32 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
eagerness with which the various reports from the crow's nest were received,
all, however, hitherto favourable to our most sanguine hopes.
Between four and six P. M., we passed several riplings on the Avater, as if
occasioned by a weather tide, but no bottom could be found with the hand-
leads. Being now abreast of Cape Castlereagh, more distant land was seen to
open out to the westward of it, and between the cape and this land was per-
ceived an inlet, to which I have given the name of the Navy Board's Inlet.
We saw points of land apparently all round this inlet, but being at a very
great distance from it we were unable to determine whether it was continuous
or not. But as the land on the western side appeared so much lower and
smoother than that on the opposite side near Cape Castlereagh, and came down,
so near the horizon, about the centre of the inlet, the general impression was,
that it is not continuous in that part. As our business lay to the westward,
however, and not to the south, the whole of this extensive inlet was, in a few
hours, lost in distance.
In the mean time the land had opened out, on the opposite shore, to the
northward and westward of Cape Warrender, consisting of high mountains,
and in some parts of table land. Several head-lands were here distinctly
made out, of which the northernmost and most conspicuous, was named
after Captain Nicholas Lechmere Pateshall, of the Royal Navy. The
extensive bay into which Cape Pateshall extends, and which, at the
distance we passed it, appeared to be broken, or detached in many parts,
was named Croker's Bay in honour of Mr. Croker, Secretary of the Admi-
ralty ; I have called this large opening a bay, though the quickness with
which we sailed past it did not allow us to determine the absolute continuity
of land round the bottom of it ; it is, therefore, by no means improbable, that
a passage may here be one day found from Sir James Lancaster's Sound into
the Northern Sea. The Cape, which lies on the Avfestern side of Croker's Bay,
was named after Sir Everard Home.
Our course was nearly due west, and the wind still continuing to freshen,
took us in a few hours nearly out of sight of the Griper. The only ice
which we met with consisted of a few large bergs very much washed by the
sea ; and, the weather being remarkably clear, so as to enable us to run with
perfect safety, we were, by midnight, in a great measure relieved from our
anxiety respecting the supposed continuity of land at the bottom of this
magnificent inlet, having reached the longitude of 83° 12', where the two
shores are still above thirteen leagues apart, without the slightest appear-
■ ir
r4 ,T^,^>>',fl
y f 1
§iimilmm- i^w
f.j^mj,
y^c/yu' //l^ai^te'Tn^?, /^a^lcn^ ^-^. (C? //
a7iyg?i^^.a/i^ cfide ./^^^ cr^tf <?/c:^^^ J/a7^ ^S^ncad^^ oCtiTzJ, .^ ^ Coj^utit,/ ^ 6. 'ii^fi^nJ^'>
iwiwf"^m iv -r'^ „/->-•"; 'r,„/Mr~mf
L, Z^;^ ^/up>v of ^a-i^t<?tiv ^/rtu/: ^~ ^'e^iytcn^ ^crm..
'»€**»»&%»..
t^cTitimia^Zc-'n cf tAe a./-ei'i
W.BeecAty dt!.
I. Clcv"k sculp.
Z..'naon.TuMished 3j I . ifurraj , imi .
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. * 33
ance of any land to the westward of us for four or five points of the compass. ^^^^•
, . August.
The colour of the water having become rather lighter, we hove-to at this
time for the Griper, and obtained soundings in one hundred and fifty fathoms
on a muddy bottom. The wind increased so much as to make it necessary
to close-reef the sails, and to get the top-gallant yards down, and there was
a breaking sea from the eastward. A great number of whales were seen in
the course of this day's run.
Having made the ship snug, so as to be in readiness to round to, should Wed. 4.
the land be seen a-head, and the Griper having come up within a few miles
of us, we again bore up at one A.M. At half-past three, Lieutenant Beechey,
who had relieved me on deck, discovered from the crow's-nest, a reef of
rocks, in-shore of us to the northward, on which the sea was breaking.
These breakers appeared to lie directly off a cape, which we named after
Rear-Admiral Joseph Bullen, and which lies immediately to the eastward
of an inlet, that I named Brooking Cuming Inlet. As the sea had now
become high, and the water appeared discoloured at some distance without
the breakers, the Hecla was immediately rounded to, for the purpose of
sounding ; we could find no bottom with fifty fathoms of line, but the Griper
coming up shortly after, obtained soundings in seventy-five fathoms, on a
bottom of sand and mud. We here met with innumerable loose masses of
ice, upon which the sea was constantly breaking, in a manner so much
resembling the breakers on shoals, as to make it a matter of some little
uncertainty at the time, whether those of which I have spoken above, might
not also have been caused by ice. It is possible, therefore, that shoal water
may not be found to exist in this place ; but I thought it right to mark the
spot on the chart to warn future navigators when approaching this part of the
coast. That there is something out of the common way in this neighbour-
hood, appears, however, more than probable, from the soundings obtained
by the Griper, which are much less than we found them in any other part of
the Sound at the same distance from land.
At seven A.M., there being less sea, and no appearance of broken or dis-
coloured water, we again bore away to the westward, the Griper having
joined us about the meridian of 85°, which had been appointed as our place
of rendezvous. Since the preceding evening, a thick haze had been hanging
over the horizon to the southward, which prevented our seeing the land in
that direction, to the westward of 87°, while the whole of the northern shore,
though, as it afterwards proved, at a greater distance from us, was distinctly
F
34 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1819. visible. At noon, being in latitude 74° 15' 53" N., longitude, by chrono-
\.-"v-H^ meters, 86° 30' 30", we were near two inlets, of which the easternmost was
named Burnet Inlet, and the other Stratton Inlet. The land between
these two had very much the appearance of an island. We rounded to, for
the purpose of sounding, as well as to wait for our consort, and found no
bottom with one hundred and seventy fathoms of line, the water being of a
dirty light-green colour. The cliffs on this part of the coast present a sin-
Wed. 4. gular appearance, being stratified horizontally, and having a number of
regular projecting masses of rock, broad at the bottom, and coming to a
point at the top, resembling so many buttresses, raised by art at equal in-
tervals. This very remarkable constructure, which continues with little varia-
tion along the whole of this northern shore, will be best understood by the
accompanying views by Lieutenant Beechey, which, from the accuracy with
' which the coast is delineated, will, I doubt not, be considered equally
valuable by the geologist and the seaman.
After lying-to for an hour, we again bore up to the westward, and soon
after discovered a caf>e, afterwards named by Captain Sabine, Cape Felleoot,
which appeared to form the termination of this coast; and as the haze,
which still prevailed to the south, prevented our seeing any land in that
quarter, and the sea was literally as free from ice as any part of the Atlantic,
we began to flatter ourselves that we had fairly entered the Polar sea, and
some of the most sanguine among us had even calculated the bearing and
distance of Icy Cape, as a matter of no very difficult or improbable accom-
plishment. This pleasing prospect was rendered the more flattering by the
sea having, as we thought, regained the usual oceanic colour, and by a long
swell which was rolling in from the southward and eastward. At six P.M.,
however, land was reported to be seen a-head. The vexation and anxiety
produced on every countenance by such a report, was but too visible, until,
on a nearer approach, it was found to be only an island, of no very large
extent, and that, on each side of it, the horizon still appeared clear for
several points of the compass. More land was also discovered beyond Cape
Fellfoot, immediately to the westward of which lies a deep and broad bay,
which I named after my friend, Mr. Maxwell, to whose kindness and unre-
mitting attention, I am more indebted than it might be proper here to express.
At eight P.M., we came to some ice of no great breadth or thickness, ex-
tending several miles in a direction nearly parallel to our course ; and as
we could see clear water over it to the southward, I was for some time in the
\;
^
,v
Gn^iii^a/Uvt c^^Ae C'tuf^i^ {^aA^.m/6 c^^O- ^^ Me G.h>^crz'i</ 6^/ Cu/^e r^^.^^-/"
Xondon. TaiUshed fy Z.MuTi^ciy, I<P2I .
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 35
hope, that it would prove a detached stream, from which no obstruction to 1819.
our progress westerly was to be apprehended. At twenty minutes past
ten, however, the weather having become hazy, and the wind light, we
perceived that the ice, along which we had been sailing for the last two
hours, Avas joined, at the distance of half a mile to the westward of
us, to a compact and impenetrable body of floes, which lay across the
whole breadth of the strait, formed by the island, and the western point
of Maxwell Bay. We hauled our wind, to the northward, just in time to
avoid being embayed in the ice, on the outer edge of which a considerable
surf, the effect of the late gale, was then rolling. A second island was dis-
covered to the southward of the former, to both of which I gave the name
of Prince Leopold's Isles, in honour of his Royal Highness Prince Leopold
OF Saxe Coburg. Immediately to the eastward of these islands, there was
a strong water sky, indicating a considerable extent of open sea, but a
bright ice blink to the westward afforded little hope, for the present, of
finding a passage in the desired direction. We saw to-day, for the first
time, a number of white whales ; fDelphinus Albicans ;J guillemots, fulmar
petrels, and kittiwakes, were also numerous near the ice.
The easterly wind died aAvay on the morning of the 5th, and was sue- Thurs. 5.
ceeded by light and variable airs, with thick, snoAvy weather. At noon we
were in lat. 74° 19' 38", long. 89° 18' 40", the soundings being one hundred
and thirty-five fathoms, on a muddy bottom. At half-past ten we tried
whether there were any current, and if so, in what direction it might be
setting, by mooring a boat to the bottom, with the deep-sea clamms ; but
none could be detected. An hour before, the same experiment had been
tried on board the Griper, when Lieutenant Liddon found the current to
be setting east, at the rate of nine miles per day. While the calm and thick
weather lasted, a number of the officers and men amused themselves in
the boats, in endeavouring to kill some of the white whales which were
swimming about the ships in great numbers ; but the animals were so
wary, that they would scarcely suffer the boats to approach them within
thirty or forty yards without diving. Mr. Fisher described them to be
generally from eighteen to twenty feet in length ; and he stated, that he
had several times heard them emit a shrill, ringing sound, not unlike that of
musical glasses when badly played. This sound, he further observed, was
most distinctly heard, when they happened to swim directly beneath the
boat, even when they were several feet under wafer, and ceased altoo-ether
36 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1819. on their coming to the surface. We saw also, for the farst time, one or two
Ji^' .shoals of narwhals, (Monodon MortocerosJ called by the sailors, sea-unicorns.
A steady breeze springing up from the W.N.W. in the afternoon, the ships
stood to the northward, till we had distinctly made out, that no passage to
the westward could at present be found between the ice and the land.
The weather having become clear about this time, we perceived that there
was a large open space to the southward, where no land was visible;
and for this opening, over which there was a dark water-sky, our course was
now directed. It fell calm again, however, in a few hours, so that at noon,
Frid. 6. on the 6th, we were still abreast of Prince Leopold's Islands, which were so
surrounded by ice, that we could not approach them nearer than four or five
miles. . The appearance of these islands is not less remarkable than that of
the northern shore of the strait, being also stratified horizontally, but having
none of those buttress-like projections before described. The different strata
form so many shelves, as it were, on which the snow lodges ; so that, imme-
diately after a fall of snow, the islands appear to be striped with white and
brown alternately. The northernmost island, when seen from the E.N.E.,
appears like a level piece of table-land, being quite perpendicular at each
extreme.
The Griper having unfortunately sprung both her topmasts, Lieut. Liddon
took advantage of the calm weather to shift them. The Hecla's boats were
at the same time employed in bringing on board ice, to be used as water ;
a measure to which it is occasionally necessary to resort in these regions,
when no pools or ponds are to be found upon the floes. In this case, berg-
ice, when at hand, is generally preferred ; but that of floes, which is in fact
the ice of sea-water, is also abundantly used for this purpose : the only pre-
caution which it is necessary to observe, being that of allowing the salt water
to drain off before it is dissolved for use. One of our boats was upset by^
the fall of a mass of ice which the men were breaking, but fortunately no
injury was sustained.
A breeze sprung up from the N.N.W. in the evening, and the Griper being
ready to make sail, we stood to the southward. The land, which now
became visible to the south-east, discovered to us, that we were entering
a large inlet, not less than ten leagues wide at its mouth, and in the centre
of which no land could be distinguished. The western shore of the inlet,
which extended as far as we could see to the S.S.W., was so encumbered
with ice, that there was no possibility of sailing near it. I, therefore, ran
,y/^_i ,-y,'^//Ai-'/n/,?a^'^if yf^/^r^ V^tvv^r/'r^ ,_y^/<7m/.j.
■y/ie^ \iy(/uff/M(-j'' (jc ^/i'//<-^ '^^yy/r'^t/j -Jj^^^iy.' , '",4v/?/-'^y .. '- '}2' /I . '
^/ra' r// ' '/'v'^ ^y^'r^/r//^''/ C^^fi<^' -^^-mt'//^ ',^yi/-et / /'taU^ cfcY^/// .
London, TtLblCshed fy I.M'u.r-ra^, 1S21.
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 37
alonff the edge of the ice, between which and the eastern shore, there was 1819.
• Auffust
a broad and open channel, with the intention of seeking, in a lower latitude, ^^.^r^'
a clearer passage to the westward than that which we had just been obliged
to abandon lying between Prince Leopold's Isles, and Maxwell's Bay. The
headland, which forms the western point of the entrance into this inlet, was
honoured by the name of Cape Clarence, after His Royal Highness the
Duke of Clarence ; and another, to the south-eastward of this, was named
after Sir Robert Seppings, one of the Surveyors of His Majesty's navy.
Since the time we first entered Sir James Lancaster's Sound, the sluggish-
ness of the compasses, as well as the amount of their irregularity produced
by the attraction of the ship's iron, had been found very rapidly, though
uniformly, to increase, as we proceeded to the westward ; so much, indeed,
that, for the last two days, we had been under the necessity of giving up
altogether the usual observations for determining the variation of the needle
on board the ships. This irregularity became more and more obvious as we
now advanced to the southward. The rough magnetic bearing of the sun
at noon, or at midnight, or when on the prime vertical, as compared
with its true azimuth, was sufficient to render this increasing inefficiency
of the compass quite apparent. For example, at noon this day, while we
were observing the meridian altitude, the bearing of the sun was two points
on the Hecla's larboard bow, and consequently her true course was about
S.S.W. The binnacle and azimuth compasses at the same time agreed in
shewing N.N. W. I W., making the variation to be allowed on that course,
eleven points and-a-half westerly, corresponding nearly with an azimuth taken
on the following morning, which gave 137° 12'. It was evident, therefore,
that a very material change had taken place in the dip, or the variation, or
in both these phenomena, since we had last an opportunity of obtaining
observations upon them ; which rendered it not improbable that we were
now making a very near approach to the magnetic pole. This supposition
was further strengthened on the morning of the 7th ; when, having de- Sat. 7.
creased our latitude to about 73°, we found that no alteration whatever in the
absolute course on which the Hecla was steering, produced a change of
more than three or four points in the direction indicated by the compass,
which continued uniformly from N.N.E. to N.N.W., according as the ship's
head was placed on one side or the other of the magnetic meridian. We
now, therefore, witnessed, for the first time, the curious phenomenon of the
directive power of the needle becoming so weak as to be completely over-
38 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERV
1819. eome by the attraction of the ship; so that the needle might now be properly
Ji^!i^" said to point to the north pole of the ship. It was only, however, in those
compasses in which the lightness of the cards, and great delicacy in the
suspension, had been particularly attended to, that even this degree of
uniformity prevailed ; for, in the heavier cards, the friction upon the points
of suspension was much too great to be overcome even by the ship's at-
traction, and they consequently remained indifferently in any position in
which they happened to be placed. For the purposes of navigation, therefore,
the compasses were from this time no longer consulted ; and in a few days
afterwards, the binnacles were removed as useless lumber, from the deck to
the carpenter s store-room, where they remained during the rest of the season,
the azimuth compass alone being kept on deck, for the purpose of watching
any changes which might take place in the directive power of the needle: and
the true courses and direction of the wind were in future noted in the log-
book, as obtained to the nearest quarter point, when the sun was visible, by
the azimuth of that object and the apparent time.
Being desirous of obtaining all the magnetic observations we were able, on a
spot which appeared to be replete with interest in this department of science,
and the outer margin of the ice consisting entirely of small loose pieces,
which were not sufficiently steady for using the dipping-needle, we hauled up
for the nearest part of the eastern shore, for the purpose of landing there with
the instruments. We got in with it about noon, having very regularly decreased
our soundings from forty to fifteen and a half fathoms ; in which depth, having
tacked, at the distance of two miles and a half from the shore, two boats were
despatched from each ship, under the command of Lieutenants Beechey and
Hoppner, who, together with Captain Sabine, were directed to make the ne-
cessary observations, and to collect whatever specimens of natural history the
place might afford. They landed on a beach of sand and stones, having
passed, at the distance of one mile from it, several large masses of ice aground in
six to eight fathoms' water, which shoaled from thence gradually in to the shore.
The officers describe this spot as more barren and dreary than any on which they
had yet landed in the arctic regions ; there being scarcely any appearance of
vegetation, except here and there a small tuft of stunted grass, and one or two
species of saxifrage and poppy, although the ground was so swampy in many
places that they could scarcely walk about. This part of the coast is rather
low, the highest hill near the landing-place being found, by geometrical mea-
surement, to be only three hundred and eighty-eight feet above the level of the
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 39
sea ; and there was at this time very little snow remaining upon it. The fixed 1819.
rocks near the surface consist chiefly of lime-stone ; but quartz, granite and v^v^'
hornblende occurred in detached lumps, most of which were incrusted with
a thin coat of lime. The bed of a small stream, which ran between two rocks
of lime-stone, was composed entirely of clay-slate. The temperature of this
stream of water was 42|°, that of the air, in the shade, being 51 1°, and of
the earth, two or three inches below the surface, 34|°. At a short distance from
the sea, Lieutenant Hoppner discovered a large mass of iron-stone, which was
found to attract the magnet very powerfully. There were no traces of inha-
bitants to be seen on this part of the coast. Part of the vertebrae of a whale
was found at some distance from the beach ; but this had probably been carried
there by bears, the tracks of Avliom were visible on the moist soil. The only
birds seen were a few ptarmigans fTetrao LagopusJ and snow buntings.
The latitude of the place of observation was 72° 45' 15", and its longitude, by
the chronometers, SO^^l^S". The dipof the needle was 88° 26' 42", and the vari-
ation 118° 23' 37" westerly. The directive powerof the horizontal needle, undis-
turbed as it was by the attraction ofthe ship, was, even here, found to be so weak,
in Captain Kater's azimuth-compasses, which were the most sensible, that they
required constant tapping with the hand to make them traverse at all. At half-
past one, when the boats landed, Lieut. Beechey found the tide ebbing, and
it appeared, by the marks on the beach, to have fallen about eighteen inches.
At fifty minutes past four, when they left the shore, it had fallen six feet and
a half more, by which we considered the time of high water on that day to be
about half-past twelve, and about twenty minutes past eleven on the full and
change days of the moon. The whole rise of tide, being nearly the highest
ofthe springs, appears to have been ten feet, and the ebb was found to set
strong to the southward in-shore. A boat being moored to the bottom, at
three miles' distance from the land, at five P.]\^. not the smallest current was
perceptible. From these and several subsequent observations, there is good
reason to suppose that the flood-tide comes from the south in this inlet. Be-
fore the boats left the shore, a staff was erected on a hill near the landing-
place, having a board nailed to it, on which the names of the ships and the
date were painted ; and at three yards, in the direction of the magnetic north
from the staffs, which may be distinguished with a glass at three miles' distance
from the land, a bottle was buried, with a paper, containing an account of the
time, and the object of our visit to this spot.
As soon as the boats returned on board, we bore up to the southward, run-
40 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1819. ning close along the edge of the ice, which led us nearer and nearer to the
v>v%^ eastern shore, so that by midnight the channel in which we were sailing was
narrowed to about five miles. The colour of the water had changed to a very-
light green at that distance from the shore ; but we could find no bottom with
fifty fathoms of line, and had thirty-five fathoms while rounding a point
of ice at three miles' distance from the beach. The weather was beautifully
serene and clear, and the sun, for the second time to us this season, just
dipped below the northern horizon, and then re-appeared in a few minutes.
Sun. 8. A dark sky to the south-west had given us hopes of finding a westerly
passage to the south of the ice along which we were now sailing ; more espe-
cially as the inlet began to widen considerably as Ave advanced in that di-
rection : but at three A.M., on the morning of the 8th, we perceived that the
ice ran close in with a point of land bearing S. b. E. from us, and which ap-
peared to form the southern extremity of the eastern shore. To this extreme
point I gave the name of Cape Kater, in compliment to Captain Henry Kater,
one of the Commissioners of the Board of Longitude, to whom science is greatly
indebted for his improvements of the pendulum, and the mariner's compass.
With the increasing width of the inlet, we had flattered ourselves with in-
creasing hopes ; but we soon experienced the mortification of disappointment.
The prospect from the crow's nest began to assume a very unpromising ap-
pearance, the whole of the western horizon, from north round to S. b. E.,
being completely covered with ice, consisting of heavy and extensive floes,
beyond which no indication of water was visible ; instead of which there was
a bright and dazzling ice-blink extending from shore to shore. The western
coast of the inlet, however, trended much more to the westward than before,
and no land Avas visible to the south-west, though the horizon was so clear in
that quarter, that, if any had existed of moderate height, it might have been
easily seen at this time, at the distance of ten or twelve leagues. From these
circumstances, the impression received at the time was, that the land, both on
the eastern and western side of this inlet, would be one day found to consist
of islands. As a fresh northerly breeze was drifting the ice rapidly towards
Cape Kater, and there appeared to be no passage open between it and that
cape, I did not consider it prudent, under present circumstances, to run the
ships down to the point, or to attempt to force a passage through the ice, and
therefore hauled to the wind with the intention of examining a bay which was
abreast of us, and to Avhich I gave the name of Fitzgerald Bay, out of respect
for Captain Robert Lewis Fitzgerald, of the royal navy.
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 41
A boat from each ship was prepared to conduct this examination, and we 1819.
stood in to drop them in-shore, but found, as we approached, that the bay was ;^)!^'
so filled with ice, as to render it impracticable for any boat to land. I there-
fore determined, as the season was fast advancing to a close, to lose no time
in returning to the northward, in the hope of finding the channel between
Prince Leopold's Isles and Maxwell Bay more clear of ice than when we left
it, in which case there could be little doubt of our effecting a passage to the
westward; whereas, in our present situation, there appeared no prospect of
our doing so without risking the loss of more time than I deemed it prudent
to spare.
I have before observed that the east and west lands which form this grand
inlet are probably islands: and, on an inspection of the charts, I think it will
also appear highly probable that a communication will one day be found to
exist between this inlet and Hudson's Bay, either through the broad and unex-
plored channel, called Sir Thomas Rowe's Welcome, or through Repulse Bay,
which has not yet been satisfactorily examined. It is also probable, that a
channel will be found to exist between the western land and the northern coast
of America; in which case the flood-tide which came from the southward may
have proceeded round the southern point of the west land out of the Polar sea,
part of it setting up the inlet, and part down the Welcome, according to the
unanimous testimony of all the old navigators, who have advanced up the
latter channel considerably to the northward.
The distance which we sailed to the southward in this inlet was about
one hundred and twenty miles, Cape Kater being, by our observations, in
lat. 71° 53' 30", long. 90° 03' 45"; and I saw no reason to doubt the practi-
cability of ships penetrating much farther to the south, by watching the
occasional openings in the ice, if the determining the geography of this part
of the arctic regions be considered worth the time which must necessarily be
occupied in effecting it. The ice which we met with in the southern part
of this inlet was much less broken into pieces than that to the northward ;
and the floes, some of which not less than nine or ten feet thick,
were covered with innumerable little round " hummocks," as they are
called by the Greenland seamen, Avhich are perhaps first formed by the
drift of the snow in particular situations, and which by alternate thawing and
freezing, become as solid and transparent as any other part of the ice.
This peculiarity I never remember to have remarked on the floes in Baffin's
Bay, on which a carriage might travel without much inconvenience, except
4S VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
H19- that which arises from the numerous pools of water found upon them in
s.0-r^' the latter part of the summer.
From latitude 73° to the farthest progress made to the southward, we
found the soundings remarkably regular in approaching the eastern shore.
The colour of the water was always observed to change to a beautiful light
green before we could obtain soundings with a line of forty fathoms, which
occur generally at the distance of four or five miles from the land; after which
the depth decreases so gradually that the lead appears to be a safe guide.
The bottom is principally mud, into which the lead sinks deep; but there is
also some hard ground, and a few pieces of limestone were occasionally
brought up by the lead.
The directive power of the magnet seemed to be weaker here than
ever; for the north pole of the needle in Captain Kater's steering compass,
in which the friction is almost entirely removed by a thread suspension,
was observed to point steadily towards the ship's- head, in whatsoever
direction the latter was placed. It is probable, therefore, that the magnetic
dip would have been found somewhat greater here than at our place of
observation on the 7th ; and it was a matter of regret to me that the primary
object of the expedition would not allow of another day's detention for the
purpose of repeating the magnetic observations on this spot.
Mon. 9. As we returned to the northward with a light, but favourable breeze, we
found that the ice had approached the eastern shore of the inlet, leaving a
much narrower channel than that by which we had entered ; and in some
places it stretched completely across to the land on this side, while the
opposite coast was still as inaccessible as before.
On the evening of the 9th, a circular prismatic halo Avas seen round the
sun, with a bright parhelion on each side at the same altitude with the sun.
The radius of the circle was 23° 06'. Several black whales, and multitudes
of white ones, were seen in the course of the day, also several narwhals
and seals, and one bear. There was an iceberg in sight.
Tues. 10. On the 10th, the weather was very thick with snow, which was afterwards
succeeded by rain and fog. The compasses being useless, and the sun
obscured, we had no means of knowing the direction in which we were
going, except that we knew the wind had been to the southward before the
fog came on, and had found by experience that it always blew directly up
or down the inlet, which enabled us to form a tolerably correct judgment
of our course. We continued to stand off-and-on near the ice, till the
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 43
evening, when, the fog having cleared away, we bore up to the northward, '^^^■
keeping as near the western shore as the ice would permit ; but at eleven '.^^■^
P.M., we were stopped in our progress by the ice extending to the land
on the eastern side of the inlet, which obliged us to haul our wind. This
part of the coast is much higher than that farther to the southward, and the
soundings near it are also considerably deeper.
On the 11th, the weather was so thick with fog and rain, that it was Wed. 11.
impossible to ascertain in what direction we were going, which obliged me
to make the ships fast to a floe till the weather should clear up. There
being abundance of the purest water in pools upon the floe, our supply of
this necessary article was completed on board each ship, and in the mean
time. Captain Sabine took the opportunity of repeating his observations
upon the dip of the magnetic needle, the result of which, being 88° 25' 17 ",
served to confirm those made on shore on the 7th. The repetition of such
observations, which require considerable care and delicacy, is always satis-
factory ; but was particularly so on this occasion from the circumstance
already mentioned of having found at some distance from the place of
observation on the 7th, a mass of magnetic iron stone, from which, or from
other similar substances, it was possible that the needle might have sufiered
some disturbance. Captain Sabine also made some observations here on
the intensity of the magnetic force, which will be found in the Appendix.
In the evening, the boats succeeded in harpooning a narwhal, to the great
delight of our Greenland sailors, who take so much pleasure in the sport to
which they have been accustomed, that they could with difficulty be
restrained at times from striking a whale, though such a frolic would almost
inevitably have been attended with the loss of one or more of our lines. A
few kittiwakes and arctic gulls were flying about the ice.
A breeze sprung up from the northward on the morning of the 12th, but Tburs.l2.
the weather was so foggy for some hours that we did not know in what
direction it was blowing. As soon as the fog cleared away, so as to enable
us to see a mile or two around us, we found that the floe to which we had
anchored was drifting fast down upon another body of ice to leeward,
threatening to enclose the ships between them. We, therefore, cast off", and
made sail, in order to beat to the northward, which we found great difficulty
in doing, owing to the quantity of loose ice with which this part of the inlet
was now covered. A remarkably thick fog obscured the eastern land from
our view this evening at the distance of five or six miles, while the western
G2
44 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1819. coast was distinctly visible at four times that distance. We remarked, in
•^^XJ standing off and on, near the main body of the ice, that the clear atmosphere
commenced at a short distance from its margin ; so that we were enabled to
obtain a few lunar observations near the edge of the ice, while, at the distance
' of a mile to the eastward of it, the sun was altogether obscured by fog.
This being the anniversary of the birth-day of His Royal Highness the
Prince Regent, it naturally suggested to us the propriety of honouring the
large inlet, which we had been exploring, and in which we still were sailing,
with the name of Prince Regent's Inlet.
Frid. 13. The weather was beautifully calm and clear on the 13th, when, being
near an opening in the eastern shore, I took the opportunity of examining
it in a boat. It proved to be a bay, a mile wide at its entrance, and three
miles deep in E.b.S. direction, having a small but snug cove on the north
side, formed by an island, between which and the main land is a bar of
rocks, which completely shelters the cove from sea or drift ice. We found
the water so deep, that in rowing close along the shore we could seldom
get bottom with seven fathoms of line ; and, as time could not be spared to
obtain the exact depth, the soundings in the annexed Plan are necessarily
very imperfect. The cliffs on the south side of this bay, to which I gave
the name of Port Bowen, after Captain James Bowen, one of the Commis-
sioners of His Majesty's navy, resemble, in many places, ruined towers and
battlements ; and fragments of the rocks were constantly falling from above.
At the head of the bay is an extensive piece of low, flat ground, intersected
by numerous rivulets, which, uniting at a short distance from the beach,
formed a deep and rapid stream, near the mouth of which we landed.
This spot was, I think, the most barren I ever saw, the ground being almost
entirely covered with small pieces of slaty limestone, among which no
vegetation appeared for more than a mile, to which distance Mr. Ross and
myself walked inland, following the banks of the stream. Among the
fragments, we picked up one piece of limestone, on which was the impression
of a fossil-shell. We saw here a great number of young black guillemots,
(Colymbus Grylle,) and a flock of ducks, which we supposed to be of the
eider species.
The latitude observed at the mouth of the stream was 73° 12' 11", and
the longitude, by chronometers, 89° 02' 08". The variation of the needle,
observed in the morning, at three or four miles' distance from the land, was
114° 16' 43" westerly. From twenty minutes past eleven till a quarter after
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. M
twelve, the tide rose by the shore six inches, and the high-water mark was 1819.
between two and three feet above this : but we were not long enough on "^^^ii^'
shore to form a correct judgment of the time at which high water takes place.
About three-quarters of a mile to the southward of Port Bowen is another
small bay, which we had not time to examine.
Soon after I returned on board, a light breeze from the southward enabled
us to steer towards Prince Leopold's Islands, which, however, we found to
be more encumbered with ice than before, as we could not approach them so
near as at first by three or four miles. The narwhals were here very numerous ;
these animals appear fond of remaining with their backs exposed above the
surface of the water, in the same manner as the whale, but for a much longer
time, and we frequently also observed their horns erect, and quite stationary
for several minutes together. Three or four miles to the northward of Port
Bowen we discovered another opening, having every appearance of a harbour,
with an island near the entrance ; I named it after Captain Samuel Jackson,
of the Royal Navy.
The whole of the 14th was occupied in an unsuccessful attempt to find an Sat. 14.
opening in the ice to the westward, which remained perfectly close and
compact, with a bright ice-blink over it. Our latitude at noon was 73° 35' 30 ",
longitude 89° 01' 20", being in two hundred and ten fathoms of water, on
a muddy bottom. Some water, brought up in Doctor Marcet's bottle from one
hundred and eighty-five fathoms, was at the temperature of 34°, that of the
surface being the same, and of the air 39°.
The ice continued in the same unfavourable state on the 15th ; and being Sun. 15.
desirous of turning to some account this vexatious but unavoidable detention,
I left the ship in the afternoon, accompanied by Captain Sabine and Mr.
Hooper, in order to make some observations on shore, and directed Lieute-
nant Liddon to send a boat from the Griper for the same purpose. We
landed in one of the numerous valleys, or ravines, which occur on this part of
the coast, and which, at a few miles' distance, very much resemble bays,
being bounded by high hills, which have the appearance of bluff headlands.
We found the water very deep close to the beach, which is composed of
rounded limestones, and on which there was no surf ; we then ascended, with
some difficulty, the hill on the south side of the ravine, which is very steep,
and covered with innumerable detached blocks of limestone, some of which
are constantly rolling down from above, and which afford a very insecure
footing. From the top of this hill, which is about six or seven hundred feet
.46 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1819. above the level of the sea, and which commands an extensive view to the wes.t-
Ji^^," ward, the prospect was by no means favourable to the immediate accomplish-
ment of our object. No water could be seen over the ice to the north-west,
and a bright and dazzling blink covered the whole space comprised between
the islands and the north shore. It was a satisfaction, however, to find that
no land appeared which was likely to impede our progress ; and we had been
too much accustomed to the obstruction occasioned by ice, and too well aware
of the suddenness with which that obstruction is often removed, to be at all
discouraged by present appearances.
On the top of this hill we deposited a bottle, containing a short notice of
our visit, and raised over it a small mound of stones; of these we found no
want, for the surface was covered with small pieces of schistose limestone,
and nothing like soil or vegetation could be seen. We found a great quan-
tity of madreporite among the lime, and at the foot of the hill I met with one
large piece, of the basaltiform kind. Several pieces of flint were also picked
up on the beach. The insignificance of the stream which here emptied itself
into the sea, formed, as usual, a striking contrast with the size of the bed
through which it flowed, the latter being several hundred feet deep, and two
or three hundred yards wide.
The latitude of this place is 73° 33'' 15" N., and the longitude by our chro-
nometers, 88° 18' 17"; the dip of the magnetic needle was 87"^ 35'.95, and
its variation 115° 37' 12" westerly. The tide was found to rise three feet from
ten minutes past three till seven P.M. ; during the whole of which time the
stream, within one or two miles of the shore, was carrying the loose pieces of
ice to the southward, at the rate of about a mile and-a-half an hour. By
observing the ships, however, at five miles' distance in the offing, I had reason
to believe that they were set in the contrary direction, and that the current
observed by us in-shore, was only an eddy, and not the true direction of the
flood-tide. The time of high water here, on full and change days of the moon,
will probably be about eleven o'clock. A very large black whale was seen
near the beach, and a great number of seals, though seldom more than two of
the latter together. We saw one, of the kind called by the sailors, " saddle-
back," (Phoca GrcBiilandica.)
Mon. 16. The wind was light on the 16th, with cloudy weather, and occasional fogs,
and we scarcely altered our position, being hemmed in by ice or land in
almost every direction. At five P.M., it being quite calm, we had a good
opportunity of trying the set of the tide, which, by the preceding day's
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. -ff
observations, we knew to be rising at this time by the shore. A small boat 1819.
was moored to the bottom, which consisted of soft mud, in one hundred and ^J^X!^
ninety-one fathoms, by a deep-sea lead weighing one hundred and fifty
pounds, and a current was found to be setting to the N.N.W., at the rate of
a quarter of a mile an hour. This served to confirm the remark I had made
the preceding day respecting the drift of the ships in the ofiing ; and, unless
there be what seamen call a " tide and half tide," would appear to establish
the fact of the flood-tide coming from the southward in this part of Prince
Regent's Inlet.
On the 17th, we had a fresh breeze, from the S.S.W., with so thick a fog, Tues. 17.
that in spite of the most unremitting attention to the sails and the steerage,
the ships were constantly receiving heavy shocks from the loose masses of
ice with which the sea was covered, and which, in the present state of the
weather, could not be distinguished at a sufficient distance to avoid them.
On the weather clearing up in the afternoon, we saw, for the first time, a
remarkable blufi^ headland, which forms the north-eastern point of the en-
trance into Prince Regent's Inlet, and to which I gave the name of Cape
York, after His Royal Highness the Duke of York. A little to the east-
ward of Cape Fellfoot, we observed six remarkable stripes of snow, near
the top of the cliff', being very conspicuous at a great distance, when viewed
from the southward. These stripes, which are foniied by the drift of snow
between the buttress-like projections before described, and which remained
equally conspicuous on our return the following year, have probably at all
times much the same appearance, at least about this season of the year,
and may, on this account, perhaps, be deemed worthy of notice, as a
landmark.
At half-past ten A.M., on the 18th, it being quite calm, the small boat was Wed. 18.
moored to the bottom, in two hundred and ten fathoms, by which means the
current was ascertained to be setting W.S.W., at the rate of a mile and-a-half
an hour ; and, from our preceding observations on the time of the tides on
shore in this neighbourhood, it can scarcely be doubted that this was the
ebb-tide.
Mr. Crawford, the Greenland mate of the Hecla, being in quest of a
narwhal in one of the boats, could not resist the temptation of striking a fine
black whale, which rose close to him, and which soon ran out two lines of one
hundred and forty fathoms each, when, after towing the boat some distance,
the harpoon fortunately drew, and thus saved our lines.
48 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1819. There being still no prospect of getting a single mile to the westward in
^^^^ the neighbourhood of Prince Leopold's Islands, and a breeze having
freshened up from the eastward in the afternoon, I determined to stand over
once more towards the northern shore, in order to try what could there be
done towards effecting our passage ; and at nine P.M., after beating for
several hours among floes and streams of ice, we got into clear water
near that coast, where we found some swell from the eastward. There
was just light enough at midnight to enable us to read and write in the
cabin.
Thur. 19. The wind and sea increased on the 19th, with a heavy fall of snow, which,
together with the uselessness of the compasses, and the narrow space in
which we were working between the ice and the land, combined to make our
situation for several hours a very unpleasant one. At two P.M., the weather
being still so thick, that we could at times scarcely see the ship's length
a-head, we suddenly found ourselves close under the land, and had not
much room to spare in wearing round. We stood ofF-and-on during the rest
of the day, measuring our distance by Massey's patent log, an invaluable
machine on this and many other occasions ; and in the course of the
afternoon, found ourselves opposite to an inlet, which I named after my
relation. Sir Benjamin Hobhouse. The snow was succeeded by rain at
night ; after which the wind fell, and the weather became clear, so that, on
Frid. 20. the moming of the 20th, when we found ourselves off Stratton Inlet, we
were enabled to bear up along shore to the westward. The points of ice
led us occasionally within two miles of the land, which allowed us to
look into several small bays or inlets, with which this coast appears in-
dented, but which it would require more time than we could afford,
thoroughly to survey or examine. The remarkable structure of this land, which
I have before attempted to describe, is peculiarly striking about Cape Fellfoot,
where the horizontal strata very much resemble two parallel tiers of batteries,
placed at regular intervals from the top to the bottom of the cliff, affording
a grand and imposing appearance. There is a low point running off some
distance from Cape Fellfoot. which is not visible till approached within five
or six miles. We passed along this point at the distance of four miles,
finding no bottom with from fifty to sixty-five fathoms of line. Maxwell Bay
isa very noble one, having several islands in it, and a number of openings
on its northern shore, which we could not turn aside to explore. It was,
however, quite free from ice, and might easily have been examined, had it
Sat. 21.
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 40
been our object to do so, and time would have permitted. A remarkable
headland, on the western side, I named after Sir William Herschel. August.
At six P.M., when we had passed to the westward of Maxwell Bay, the
wind failed us, and the opportunity was immediately taken to try the current
by mooring the small boat to the bottom in one hundred and fifty fathoms.
The tide was found to set W. 5 N., at the rate of a quarter of a mile per
hour ; and at nine o'clock, when we tried it again in a similar manner, there
was still a slight stream perceptible, setting in the same direction. The mud
and small black stones, brought up from the bottom, consisted entirely of
limestone, effervescing strongly with an acid.
On the 2Ist we had nothing to impede our progress but the want of wind,
the great opening, through which we had hitherto proceeded from Baffin's Bay
being now so perfectly clear of ice, that it was almost impossible to believe it to
be the same part of the sea, which, but a day or two before, had been completely
covered with floes to the utmost extent of our view. In the forenoon, beino-
off a headland, which was named after Captain Thomas Hurd, Hydrographer
to the Admiralty, we picked up a small piece of wood, which appeared to have
been the end of a boat's yard, and which caused sundry amusing speculations
among our gentlemen ; some of whom had just come to the very natural
conclusion, that a ship had been here before us, and that, therefore, we were
aot entitled to the honour of the first discovery of that part of the sea on
which we were now sailing ; when a stop was suddenly put to this and other
ingenious inductions by the information of one of the seamen, that he had
dropped it out of his boat a fortnight before. I could not get him to recollect
exactly the day on which it had been so dropped, but what he stated was suf-
ficient to convince me, that we were not at that time more than ten or twelve
leagues from our present situation ; perhaps not half so much ; and that,
therefore, here was no current setting constantly in any one direction. A
bay, to the northward and westward of Cape Hurd, was called Rigby
Bay.
At nine P.M., the wind being light from the northward, with hazy
weather, and some clouds, the electrometer chain was hoisted up to the
masthead ; but no sensible effect was produced, either upon the pith-balls or
the gold-leaf. A thick fog came on at night, which, together with the
lightness of the wind, and the caution necessary in navigating an unknown
sea under such circumstances, rendered our progress to the westward ex-
tremely slow, though we had fortunately no ice to obstruct us. The
Sun. 2-2.
50 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
jgjg narwhals were blowing about us in all directions, and two walruses with a
August, young one were seen upon a piece of ice.
The fog clearing up on the following day, we found ourselves abreast a bay,
to which the name of RadstockBay was subsequently given by Lieut. Liddon's
desire, in compliment to the Earl of Radstock. This bay is formed by a
point of land, on the eastern side, which I named Cape Eardley Wilmot ;
and on the western, by a bluff headland, which was called after Captain
Tristram Robert Ricketts, of the Royal Navy. In the centre of Radstock
bay, lies an insular-looking piece of land, which received the name of
Caswall's Tower. We now also caught a glimpse of more land to the
southward ; but, owing to a thick haze which hung over the horizon in
that quarter, the continuity of land on a great part of that coast, to
the westward of Cape Clarence, remained, for the present, undetermined.
Immediately to the westward of us, we discovered more land, occupying
several points of the horizon, Avhich renewed in us considerable appre-
hension, lest we should still find no passage open into the Polar sea. As we
advanced slowly to the westward, the land on which Cape Ricketts stands, ap-
peared to be nearly insular ; and, immediately to the westward of it, we disco-
vered a considerable opening, which we called Gascoyne's Inlet, after General
Gascoyne, and which I should have been glad to examine in a boat, had time
permitted. In the afternoon, the weather became very clear and fine, the wind
being light from the westward. As this latter circumstance rendered our progress
very slow, the opportunity was taken to despatch the boats on shore, for the
purpose of making observations ; and at the same time, a boat from each ship,
under the respective command of Lieutenants Beechey and Hoppner, was sent
to examine a bay, at no great distance to the northward and westward
of us. The first party landed at the foot of a bluff headland, which forais the
eastern point of this bay, and which I named after my friend Mr. Richard Riley,
of the Admiralty. They had scarcely landed ten minutes, when a fresh breeze
unexpectedly sprung up from the eastward, and their signal of recall was
immediately made. They were only, therefore, enabled to obtain a part of
the intended observations, by which the latitude was found to be 74° 39' 51",
the longitude 91° 47" 36".8, and the variation of the magnetic needle
128° 58' 07" westerly. The cliffs on this part of the coast were observed to
consist almost entirely of secondary limestone, in which fossils were abun-
dantly found. There was little or no vegetation in those parts which ouir
gentlemen had an opportunity of examining during their short excursion ; but
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE'. M
as a quantity of the dung of rein-deer was brought on board, the interior of 181^.
the country cannot be altogether unproductive. One or two specimens of the ^^^li^
silvery gull, fLarus Argentatus,) and of the Lams Glaucus, with the young of
the latter alive, were obtained by Captain Sabine ; and five black whales
were seen near the beach.
Lieutenant Beechey found that the land, which at this time formed the
western extreme, and which lies on the side of the bay, opposite to
Cape Riley, was an island; to which I, therefore, gave the name of Beechey
Island, out of respect to Sir William Beechey. Immediately off Cape Riley,
runs a low jjoint, which had some appearance of shoal-water near it,
there being a strong ripple on the surface ; but Lieutenant Hoppner re-
ported, that he could find no bottom with thirty-nine fathoms, at the distance
of two hundred yards from it.
As soon as the boats returned, all sail was made to the westward, where
the prospect began to wear a more and more interesting appearance. We
soon perceived, as we proceeded, that the land, along which we were
sailing, and which, with the exception of some small inlets, had appeared
to be hitherto continuous from Baffin's Bay, began now to trend much
to the northward, beyond Beechey Island, leaving a large open space be-
tween that coast and the distant land to the westward, which now appeared
like an island, of which the extremes to the north and south Were distinctly
visible. The latter was a remarkable headland,having at its extremity two small
table hills, somewhat resembling boats turned bottom upwards, and was named
Cape Hotham, after Rear- Admiral the Honourable Sir Henry Hotham, one of
the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty. At sunset we had a clear and
extensive view to the northward, between Cape Hotham and the eastern
land. On the latter several headlands were discovered and named ; between
the northernmost of these, called Cape Bowden, and the island to the west-
ward, there was a channel of more than eight leagues in width, in which
neither land nor ice could be seen from the mast-head. To this noble
channel I gave the name of Wellington, after his Grace the Master-General
of the Ordnance. The arrival off this grand opening was an event for which
we had long been looking with much anxiety and impatience ; for, the con-
tinuity of land to the northward had always been a source of uneasiness to
us, principally from the possibility that it might take a turn to the southward
and unite with the coast of America. The appearance of this broad
opening, free from ice, and of the land on each side of it, more especially
52 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1819. that on the west, leaving scarcely a doubt on our minds of the latter being an
Ji^Iilj island, relieved us from all anxiety on that score ; and every one felt that we
were now finally disentangled from the land which forms the western side of
Baffin's Bay ; and that, in fact, we had actually entered the Polar sea. Fully im-
pressed with this idea, I ventured to distinguish themagnificentopeningthrough
which our passage had been effected from Baffin's bay to Wellington channel,
by the name of Barrow's Strait, after my friend, Mr. Barrow, Secretary of the
Admiralty ; both as a private testimony of my esteem for that gentleman, and
as a public acknowledgment due to him for his zeal and exertions in the
promotion of Northern Discovery. To the land on which Cape Hotham is
situated, and whicl^ is the easternmost of the group of islands,) as we found
them to be by subsequent discovery,) in the Polar sea, I gave the name of
CoRNWALLis Island, after Admiral the Honourable Sir William Cornwallis,
my first naval friend and patron ; and an inlet, seven miles to the northward
of Cape Hotham, was called Barlow Inlet, as a testimony of my respect for
Sir Robert Barlow, one of the Commissioners of His Majesty's navy.
Though two-thirds of the month of August had now elapsed, I had every
reason to be satisfied with the progress which we had hitherto made. I cal-
culated upon the sea being still navigable for six weeks to come, and pro-
bably more if the state of the ice would permit us to edge away to the south-
ward in our progress westerly: our prospects, indeed, were truly exhila-
rating ; the ships had suffered no injury ; we had plenty of provisions ;
crews in high health and spirits ; a sea, if not open, at least navigable ; and
a zealous and unanimous determination in both officers and men to ac-
complish, by all possible means, the grand object on which we had the hap-
piness to be employed.
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 53
CHAPTER III.
FAVOURABLE APPEARANCES OF AN OPEN WESTERLY PASSAGE — LAND TO THE
NORTHWARD, A SERIES OF ISLANDS — GENERAL APPEARANCE OF THEM —
MEET WITH SOME OBSTRUCTION FROM LOW ISLANDS SURROUNDED WITH
ICE — REMAINS OP ESQUIMAUX HUTS, AND NATURAL PRODUCTIONS OF BYAM
MARTIN ISLAND TEDIOUS NAVIGATION FROM FOGS AND ICE — DIFFICULTY OF
STEERING A PROPER COURSE ARRIVAL AND LANDING ON MELVILLE ISLAND
— PROCEED TO THE WESTWARD, AND REACH THE MERIDIAN OF 110° W.
LONG., THE FIRST STAGE IN THE SCALE OF REWARDS GRANTED BY ACT
OF PARLIAMENT.
1819.
A CALM which prevailed during the night kept us nearly stationary off August.
Beechey Island till three A.M. on the 23d, when a fresh breeze sprung up Mon. 23.
from the northward, and all sail was made for Cape Hotham, to the south-
ward of which it was now my intention to seek a direct passage towards
Behring's Strait. Wellington channel, to the northward of us, was as open
and navigable, to the utmost extent of our view, as any part of the Atlantic,
but as it lay at right angles to our course, and there was still an opening at
least ten leagues wide to the southward of Cornwallis Island, I could fortu-
nately have no hesitation in deciding which of the two it was our business to
pursue. If, however, the sea to the westward, which was our direct course, had
been obstructed by ice, and the wind had been favourable, such was the tempt-
ing appearance of Wellington channel, in which there was no visible impedi-
ment, that I should probably have been induced to run through it, as a degree
more or less to the northward made little or no difference in the distance we
had to run to Icy Cape. The open channel to the westward did not, how-
54f VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1819. ever, reduce me to this dilemma. It is impossible to conceive any thing
J^^^' more animating than the quick and unobstructed run with which we were
favoured, from Beechey Island across to Cape Hotham. Most m«n have,
probably, at one time or another, experienced that elevation of spirits which
is usually produced by rapid motion of any kind; and it will readily be con-
ceived how much this feeling was heightened in us, in the few instances in
which it occurred, by the slow and tedious manner in which the greater part
of our navigation had been perfonned in these seas. Our disappointment
may therefore be imagined, when, in the midst of these favourable appear-
ances, and of the hope with which they had induced us to flatter our-
selves, it was suddenly and unexpectedly reported from the crow's-
nest, that a body of ice lay directly across the passage between Cornwallis
Island and the land to the southward. As we approached this obstruction,
which commenced about Cape Hotham, we found that there was, for the
present, no opening in it through which a passage could be attempted.
After lying to for an hour, however, Lieutenant Beechey discovered from the
crow's-nest, that one narrow neck appeared to consist of loose pieces of
heavy ice detached from the main floes which composed the barrier, and that,
beyond this, there was a considerable extent of open water. The Hecla was
immediately pushed into this part of the ice, and, after a quarter of an hour's
" boring," during which the breeze had, as usual, nearly deserted us, suc-
ceeded in forcing her way through the neck. The Griper followed in the
opening which the Hecla had made, and we continued our course to the
westward, having once more a navigable sea before us.
We now remarked, that a very decided change had taken place in the
character of the land to the northward of us since leaving Beechey Island ;
the coast near the latter being bold and precipitous next the sea, with very
deep water close to it, while the shores of Cornwallis Island rise with a
gradual ascent from a beach which appeared to be composed of sand. During
the forenoon we passed several riplings on the surface of the water, which
were probably occasioned by the set of the tides round each end of Corn-
wallis Island, as we found a depth of ninety-five fathoms. An opening was
seen in the southern land, which I distinguished by the name of Cunning-
ham Inlet, after Captain Charles Cunningham of the Royal Navy, resident
Commissioner at Deptford and Woolwich, to whose kindness and attention .
we were much indebted during the equipment of the ships for this service. A
bluff' and remarkable cape, which forms the eastern point of Cunningham
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 55
Inlet obtained, by Lieutenant Hoppner's desire, the name of Cape Gifford, 1819.
out of respect to his friend, Mr. Gifford, a gentleman well known and highly ^^^^'
respected, as he deserves to be, in the literary world. To the eastward of
Cape Gifford, a thick haze covered the horizon, and it prevented us from
seeing more land in that direction ; so that its continuity from hence to Cape
Clarence still remained undetermined, while, to the westward, it seemed to
be terminated rather abruptly by a headland, which I distinguished by the
name of Cape Bunny.
At noon, we had reached the longitude of 94° 43' 15", the latitude, by
observation, being 74° 20' 52", when we found that the land which then
formed the western extreme on this side was a second island, which,
after Rear-Admiral Edavard Griffith, I called Griffith Island. Imme-
diately opposite to this, upon Cornwallis Island, is a conspicuous headland,
which, at some distance, has the appearance of being detached, but which,
on a nearer approach, was found to be joined by a piece of low land. To
this I gave the name of Cape Martyr, after a much esteemed friend. At
two P.M., having reached the longitude of 95° 07', we came to some heavy
and extensive floes of ice, which obliged us to tack, there being no passage
between them. We beat to the northward during the whole of the after-
noon, with a fresh breeze from that quarter, in the hope of finding a
narrow channel under the lee of Griffith Island. In this expectation we
were, however, disappointed, for, at eight P.M., we were near enough to
perceive not only that the ice was quite close to the shore, but that it
appeared not to have been detached from it at all during this season. We,
therefore, bore up, and ran again to the southward, where the sea by this
time had become rather more clear along the lee margin of a large field of
ice extending far to the westward. The ice in this neighbourhood was
covered with innumerable " hummocks," such as I have before endea-
voured to describe as occurring in the southern part of Prince Regent's
Inlet, and the floes were from seven to ten feet in thickness. It may bete
be remarked, as a fact not altogether unworthy of notice, that, from the
time of our entering Sir James Lancaster's Sound, till we had passed the
meridian of 92°, near which the northern shore of Barrow's Strait ceases to
be continuous, the wind, as is commonly the case in inlets of this kind,
had invariably blown in a direction nearly due east or due west, being that
of the shores of the strait. When, therefore, we experienced to-day, for
the first time, a fresh breeze blowing steadily from the northward, or
5S VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1819. directly off the land, we were willing, though perhaps without much reason,
v,*^^ to construe this circumstance into an additional indication of the shores
near which we were now sailing being altogether composed of islands, down
the channels between which the wind blew, and that therefore no obstruction
from continued land was any longer to be apprehended.
After various unsuccessful attempts to get through the ice which now lay
in our way, we were at length so fortunate as to accomplish this object by
" boring" through several heavy " streams," which occasioned the ships to
receive many severe shocks ; and, at half an hour before midnight, we were
enabled to pursue our course, through "sailing ice,'' to the westward.
Tues. 24. A fog came on, on the morning of the 24th, which once more reduced us
to the necessity of depending on the steadiness of the wind for a knowledge
of the direction in which we were steering, or of having recourse to the
unpleasant alternative of heaving to, till the weather should become clear.
The former Avas, of course, preferred, and we pushed on with all the canvass
which the Griper's bad sailing would allow us to carry, using the very
necessary precaution of keeping the hand-leads constantly going. We
passed one field of ice, of immense length, the distance which we ran
along it, without meeting a single break in it, being, according to the
report of the officers, from eight to ten miles, and its general thickness
about eight feet. In this manner we had sailed between fifteen and twenty
miles in a tolerably clear sea, when, on the fog clearing away, at seven
A.M., we found, by the bearings of the sun, that the wind had not deceived
us, and that we had made nearly all westing during the night's run. We
also saw land to the northward of us, at the distance of nine or ten miles,
appearing like an island, which it afterwards proved to be, and which I
named after Viscount Lowther, one of the lords of His Majesty's treasury.
Shortly after, we also saw land to the south, so that we could not but consider
ourselves fortunate in having steered so directly in the proper course for
sailing in this channel during the continuance of the foggy weather. The
land to the southward was high and bold, being terminated to the eastward
by a bluff headland, which I named after Mr. Walker, of the Hydrographical
Office, at the Admiralty. Immediately at the back of Cape Walker, or to the
southward of it, the loom of land was distinctly visible, but, from the state of
Ihe weather, we could not ascertain its extent. We here obtained soundings
in sixty-three fathoms, on g, bottom of sand and small stones, with some pieces
of coral.
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. -.S^
The wind, drawing more to the westward soon after the clearing up of 1819.
the fog, obliged us to beat to windward during the rest of the day between ^^^li^'
the two lands, that to the southward being loaded with ice, while the
shores of Lowther Island were perfectly clear and accessible. As we
stood in towards the south-west point of the island, in the afternoon, we
found the water deepen from sixty-five to seventy-six fathoms, the latter
soundings being at the distance of two miles and a half from the shore :
and, in standing off again to the south-westward, came rather unexpectedly to
a low sandy-looking island, having a great deal of heavy ice aground near
it; to this I gave the name of Young's Island, after Dr. Thomas Young,
Secretary to the Board of Longitude. We tacked in thirty-four fathoms
at three miles' distance from this island; and, from the quantity of heavy
ice near it, which is a never-failing beacon in these seas, it seems more than
probable that it is surrounded by shoal water.
It now became evident that all the land around us consisted of islands, and
the comparative shoaliness of the water made great caution necessary in pro-
ceeding, surrounded as we were by both land and ice in almost every direction.
In the course of the evening, more land came in sight to the northward ;
but the distance was at this time too great to enable us to distinguish its
situation and extent.
Early on the following morning, Lieutenant Beechey discovered, from the Wed. 25.
crow's nest, a second low island, resembling Young's Island in size and
appearance, and lying between three and four leagues to the northward
of it. I gave it the name of Davy Island, after Sir Humphry Davy, now
President of the Royal Society. The nearest land which we had seen to
the northward, on the preceding evening, proved to be another island,
four or five miles long from east to west, which I distinguished by the name
of Garrett Island, out of respect to my much-esteemed friend Captain
Henry Garrett, of the royal navy, to whose kind offices and friendly
attention during the time of our equipment, I must ever feel highly
indebted. The land to the northward of Garrett Island was found to be
another island of considerable extent, having, towards its eastern end, a remark-
able peaked hillock, very conspicuous when seen from the southward.
I named this Bathurst Island, in honour of the Earl of Bathurst, one of
His Majesty's principal secretaries of state, and a bay near its south-eastern
point, was called Bedford Bay.
The islands which we had discovered during this day's navigation, among
58 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1819. which I have not ventured to include the land to the southward of Lowther
^^^li^' Island, of which we obtained a very imperfect view, are generally of a
moderate height, not exceeding perhaps four or five hundred feet above
the level of the sea. With the exception of some parts of Bathurst Island,
which have a more rugged aspect and which rise to a greater elevation
than this, we found them entirely clear of snow, and when the sun was shining
upon them^ they exhibited a brown appearance. In standing in towards
Garrett Island, the water was found to deepen from forty to sixty-five,
seventy, and eighty fathoms ; the latter soundings occurring at two miles
distance from the south-eastern point of the island, where we suddenly
met with a strong rippling on the surface of the water : as no irregularity could
be found in the bottom, this rippling was perhaps occasioned by the meeting
of the tides in this place.
Thur. 26. We had seen no whales nor narwhals since leaving Cape Riley on the
morning of the 23d ; and it was now remarked, not without some degree of un-
pleasant feeling, that not a single bird, nor any other living creature, had for
the whole of this day made its appearance. It was, however encouraging to
find, while advancing to the westward, as fast as an unfavourable Avind would
permit, that, although the sea beyond us was for the most part covered with
a compact and undivided body of ice, yet that a channel of sufficient breadth
was still left open for us between it and the shore, under the lee of Bathurst
Island. The ice here consisted almost entirely of fields, the limits of which
were not visible from the mast head, and which were covered with the same
kind of hummocks as before described. The westernmost land now in sight was
a cape, which I named after Vice-Admiral Sir George Cockburn, one of the
Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty. This cape appeared, during the
day, to be situated on a small island detached from Bathurst Island ; but^
on approaching it towards evening, we found them to be connected by a
low sandy beach or isthmus, over which some high and distant hills were
seen to the north-westward. An opening in the land near this beach, and
which had very much the appearance of a river, with some rocky islets at
its mouth, w£is named Allison Inlet, after the Greenland master of the
Hecla. The water became very light coloured as we stood in towards this
part of the coast, and we tacked in twenty-six fathoms, at six or seven
miles' distance from it, continuing to beat to the westward.
We gained so little ground during the night, and in the early part of tlie
following morning, notwithstanding the smoothness of the water, and a fine
f J,?/u' .y/r/T?,?///, /;-,/> w/.<^- V/. Yt/. '■ /
Wf^^.^^^^"^^^^^^^
C^cL^'^'i^/{^ C^i^.^'er. /ea-yt^ ^A^^3^° /6 dP.
" _^iiea^ (7?'i- ^/ja/:d^c/j't' ^ /u/^n^z^ .
^e&cJi^ dtl.
Z. Cla7'k scu^.
Zcndc?i,Tii6lisked fy LMuTi-ajy, 2tf22.
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 59
working breeze, that I am confident there must have been a tide setting
against us off Cape Cockburn ; but, as it was of material importance to get
round this headland, before a change of wind should set the ice in upon the
shore, I did not deem it proper to heave-to, for the purpose of trying the
direction in which it was running. After three A.M., the ships began to
make much better way, so that I considered it likely that the tide had
slackened between three and four o'clock ; and if so, the time of slack water
at this place would be, on full and change days, a few minutes after eleven :
and as this time, with the proper correction applied, seems to correspond
pretty accurately with that of high water at the other places, to the eastward
and westward, where we had an opportunity of observing it, we could
scarcely doubt that it was the flood-tide which had now been setting against
us from the westward. From these circumstances, I have ventured to
mark the time of high water, and the direction of the flood-tide, upon the
chart, both being confessedly subject to correction by future navigators.
Several seals were here seen upon the ice, and a single bird with a long
bill, resembling a curlew.
While beating round Cape Cockburn, our soundings were from thirty-three
to twenty-one fathoms, on a bottom of small broken shells and coral ; and
some star-fish (Asterias) came up on the lead. After rounding this headland,
the wind favoured us by coming to the S.S.W. ; and as we stood on to the west-
ward, the water deepened very gradually till noon, when being in latitude,
by observation, 75° 01' 51", and longitude, by chronometers, 101° 39' 09",
we sounded in sixty-eight fathoms, on a bottom of mud of a peculiar flesh-
colour. The high land, which had been seen on the preceding evening,
over the low beach to the eastward of Cape Cockburn, now appeared also
to form a part of Bathurst Island, which we afterwards found to be the
case, (on our return in 1820,) the intermediate parts of the land being too low
to be clearly distinguished at our present distance. The land to the
westward of Cape Cockburn sweeps round into a large bay, which I named
after Vice-Admiral Sir Graham Moore.
The weather was at this time remarkably serene and clear, and, although
we saw a line of ice to the southward of us, lying in a direction nearly east
and west, or parallel to the course on which we were steering, and some
more land appeared to the westward, yet the space of open water was still
so broad, and the prospect from the mast-head, upon the whole, so flattering,
that I thought the chances of our separation had now become greater
60 VOYAGE FOE THE DISCOVERY
1819. than before; and I therefore considered it right to furnish Lieutenant Liddon
K^.-^J with fresh instructions, and to appoint some new place of rendezvous, in case
of unavoidable separation from the Hecla. A boat Avas, therefore, dropped
on board the Griper for that purpose, without her heaving-to ; and the same
opportunity was taken to obtain a comparison between our chronometers.
About seven P.M., we were sufficiently near to the western land, to ascertain
that it was part of another island, which I named after Vice-Admiral
Sir Thomas Byam Martin, Comptroller of His Majesty's navy; and by eight
o'clock we perceived that the body of ice to the southward, along which we
had been sailing, took a turn to the north, and stretched quite in to the
shore, near a low point, off which a great quantity of heavy ice was aground.
At ten o'clock, after having had a clear view of the ice and of the land about
sunset; and finding that there was at present no passage to the westward,
we hauled off to the south-east, in the hope of finding some opening in the
ice to the southward, by which we might get round in the desired di-
rection. We were encouraged in this hope by a dark " water-sky" to the
southward ; but, after running along the ice till half-past eleven, without
perceiving any opening, we again bore-up to return towards the island.
There was in this neighbourhood, a great deal of that particular kind of ice,
called by the sailors " dirty ice," on the surface of which were strewed sand,
stones, and in some instances, moss ; ice of this kind must, of course, at one
time or other, have been in close contact with the land. On one of these
pieces, towards which the Hecla was standing, a little sea was observed break-
ing ; and, on a nearer approach, it so exactly resembled a rock above water,
that I thought it prudent to heave all the sails aback, till a boat had been
sent to examine it. We saw several fulmar petrels, and one or two seals,
in the course of this day's run.
Sat. 28. As we approached the south point of the island, to which I gave the name
of Cape Gillman, out of respect to the memory of the late Sir John Gillman,
we found the ice in the same position as before ; and I therefore hauled to
the north-east, with the intention of attempting a passage round the north
side of the island. In standing in, towards Cape Gillman, our soundings
gradually decreased from eighty to twenty-three fathoms, the latter depth
occurring at the distance of two to four miles from the shore. At ten A.M.,
the wind being very light from the S.S.E., I despatched Captain Sabine and
Mr. Ross, accompanied by Messrs. Edwards and Fisher, to the eastern point
of the island, which we were about to round in the ships, in order to
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 61
make the necessary observations, and to examine the natural productions 1819.
of the shore. Our latitude at noon was 75° 03' 12", long. 103° 44' 37", and J^'
the depth of water forty fathoms. A thick fog came on in the afternoon, soon
after the boat had landed, which made me apprehensive that she would not
easily find her way back to the ship. We continued to stand ofF-and-on by
the lead, which seems a very safe guide on this coast, firing guns frequently
till five P.M., when we were not sorry to hear our signals answered by
musquets from the boat. The gentlemen reported, on their return, that they
had landed on a sandy beach, near the east point of the island, which they
found to be more productive, and altogether more interesting than any other
part of the shores of the Polar regions which we had yet visited. The remains
of Esquimaux habitations were found in four different places. Six of these,
which Captain Sabine had an opportunity of examining, and which are
situated on a level sandy bank, at the side of a small ravine near the sea,
are described by him as consisting of stones rudely placed in a circular, or
rather an elliptical, form. They were from seven to ten feet in diameter ; the
broad, flat sides of the stones standing vertically, and the whole structure, if
such it may be called, being exactly similar to that of the summer huts of
the Esquimaux, which we had seen at Hare Island, the preceding year.
Attached to each of them was a smaller circle, generally four or five feet in
diameter, which had probably been the fire-place. The small circles were
placed indifferently, as to their direction from the huts to which they belonged ;
and from the moss and sand which covered some of the lower stones,
particularly those which composed the flooring of the huts, the whole en-
campment appeared to have been deserted for several years. Very recent
traces of the rein-deer and musk-ox were seen in many places ; and a
head of the latter, with several rein-deers' horns, was brought on board.
A few patches of snow remained in sheltered situations; the ravines, however,
which were numerous, bore the signs of recent and considerable floods, and
their bottoms were swampy, and covered with very luxuriant moss, and other
vegetation, the character of which differed very little from that of the land at the
bottom of Possession Bay. The basis of the island is sandstone, of which by far
the greater part of the mineralogical specimens brought on board consisted ;
besides these, some rich granite and red feldspar were met with, together
with some other substances which are described by Mr. Konig in the
Appendix. A number of shells, of the Venus tribe, were found imbedded
in the bottom of the ravines. A thermometer, of which the bulb was buried
62 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1819. two or three inches in the sand, considerably above high-water mark, indi-
'^^^^' cated the temperature of 35|° ; that of the air, the sun being obscured by
clouds at the time, being 33|°,
The latitude of the place of observation was 75° 09' 23", and the longitude, by
chronometers, 103° 44' 37". The dip of the magnetic needle was 88° 25'.5S, and
the variation was now found to have changed from 128° 58' West, in the longitude
of 91° 48', where our last observations on shore had been made, to 165° 50' 09"
East, at our present station ; so that we had, in sailing over the space included be-
tween those two meridians, crossed immediately to the northward of the mag-
netic pole, and had undoubtedly passed over one of those spots upon the globe,
where the needle would have been found to vary 180°, or in other words,
where its north pole would have pointed due south. This spot would, in all
probability, at this time be somewhere not far from the meridian of 100°
west of Greenwich. It would undoubtedly have been extremely interesting
to obtain such an observation, and in any other than the very precarious
navigation in which we were now engaged, I should have felt it my
duty to devote a certain time to this particular purpose ; but, under
present circumstances, it was impossible for me to regret the cause
which alone had prevented it, especially as the importance to science of
this obsei-vation was not sufficient to compensate the delay which the
search after such a spot would necessarily have occasioned, and which could
hardly be justified at a moment when we were making, and for two
or three days continued to make, a rapid and unobstructed progress towards
the accomplishment of our principal object. Captain Sabine remarked, in
obtaining the observations for the variation, that the compasses, which were
those of Captain Rater's construction, required somewhat more tapping with
the hand, to make them traverse, than they did at the place of observation in
Prince Regent's Inlet, on the 7th of August, where the magnetic deep was
' very nearly the same ; but that, when they had settled, they indicated the
meridian with more precision. For instance, on the 7th of August, the
compass, when levelled on its stand, would traverse of itself; but if the bear-
ing of any object were observed with it, and the compass frequently removed
and replaced, the bearings so obtained would differ from each other, notwith-
standing much tapping, to the amount of 3° or 4° ; whereas on the present
occasion, more sluggishness was observable, yet, at the same time, a closer
agreement in the successive results.
The tide was rising by the shore, from noon till half past four P.M., at
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 63
which time the boats left the beach ; and, by the high-watermark, it was isig.
considered probable that it had yet to rise full an hour longer. The time of ^^^oJi^'
high water, therefore, may be taken at half past five, which will make that of
the full and change days about twelve o'clock. Mr. Ross found, on rowing
round the point near which he landed, that the stream was setting strong
against him from the northward. We had tried the current in the offing at
noon, by mooring the small boat to the bottom, when it was found to be run-
ning in a south direction, at the rate of half a mile per hour. At four P.M.,
near the same station, it was setting S.S.W., five eighths of a mile an hour, so
that it would appear tolerably certain that the flood-tide here comes from the
northward.
The wind became very light from the eastward, and the weather continued Sun. '29.
so foggy that nothing could be done during the night but to stand ofl-and-on,
by the soundings, between the ice and the land ; as we had no other means
of knowing the direction in which we were sailing, than by the decrease in
the depth of water on one tack, and by making the ice on the other. The fog
froze hard upon the rigging, which always makes the working of the ship
a very laborious task, the size of the running rigging being sometimes thus
increased to three times its proper diameter. At four A.M. on the 29th, the
current was tried by mooring a boat to the bottom, but none could be detected.
About this time the fog partially cleared away for a little while, when we ob-
served that the ice was more open off Cape Gillman, than when we had before
attempted to pass in that direction. At five o'clock, therefore, we made sail
for the point, with a light easterly breeze ; but at seven, when we had pro-
ceeded only two or three miles, the fog came on again as thick as before : for-
tunately, however, we had previously been enabled to take notice of several
pieces of ice, by steering for each of which in succession, we came to the edge
of a floe, along which our course was to be pursued to the westward. As
long as we had this guidance, we advanced with great confidence ; but as soon
as we came to the end of the floe, which then turned off to the southward, the
circumstances under which we were sailing were, perhaps, such as have never
occurred since the early days of navigation. To the northward was the land ;
the ice, as we supposed, to the southward ; the compasses useless ; and the sun
completely obscured by a fog, so thick that the Griper could only now and then
be seen at a cable's length astern. We had literally, therefore, no mode of
regulating our course but by once more trusting to the steadiness of the wind ;
and it was not a little amusing, as well as novel, to see the quarter-master
^ VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1819. conning the ship by looking at the dog-vane. Under all these circumstances,
J^^' it was necessary to run under easy sail, the breeze having gradually freshened
up from the eastward. Our soundings were at this time extremely regular,
being from forty-one to forty-five fathoms, on a bottom of soft mud. At ten
o'clock the weather became clear enough to allow us to see our way through
a narrow part in a patch of ice which lay ahead, and beyond which there was
some appearance of a " water-sky." There is, however, nothing more deceit-
ful than this appearance during a fog, which, by the same optical illusion
whereby all other objects become magnified, causes every small " hole," of
clear water to appear like a considerable extent of open and navigable sea.
We continued running till eleven P.M., when the fog came on again, making
the night so dark that it was no longer possible to proceed in any tolerable
security; I therefore directed the ships to be made fast to a floe, having
sailed by our account, twelve miles, the depth of water being forty-four
fathoms.
Mon. 30. The fog continued till five A.M. on the 30th, when it cleared sufficiently to
give us a sight of the land, and of the heavy ice aground ofi^ Cape Gillman, the
latter being five or six miles to the northward of us, in which situation we had
deepened our soundings to fifty fathoms during the night's drift. The state of
the ice, and of the weather, not permitting us to move, Captain Sabine, being
desirous of making some use of this unavoidable detention, and considering it
at all times important to confirm magnetic observations obtained on shore in
these high latitudes, by others taken upon the ice, employed himself in repeat-
ing his series of observations on the dip of the needle, which he found to be
88° 29'. 12, differing only three minutes and a half from that obtained on shore
on the 28th, a few leagues to the northward and eastward of our present sta-
tion. The floe to which the ships were now secured was not more than six or
seven feet in thickness, and was covered with innumerable pools of water, most
of which had communication with the sea, as we could with difficulty obtain any
that was sufficiently fresh for drinking. In many parts, indeed, there were
large holes through which the sea was visible, and the under surface was much
decayed and honey-combed, being nearly in that state which the Greenland
sailors call " rotten." Some of the officers amused themselves in skating on
the pools, all of which' were hard frozen on the surface ; and the men in sliding^
foot-ball, and other games. By putting some drag-nets and oyster-dredges
overboard, and suffering them to drag along the ground as the ship drifted with
the ice, we obtained a few specimens of marine insects.
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 65
In the evening a quantity of loose ice drifted down near the ships ; and, to 1819.
avoid being beset, we made sail towards the island, our soundings being Jivil'
from thirty-five to seventeen fathoms : we were soon under the necessity of
again anchoring to a floe, till the weather should clear, being in twenty-one
fathoms, at the distance of three miles from the land.
The weather cleared a little at intervals, but not enough to enable us to pro- Tues. o.
ceed till nine A.M. on the 31st, when we cast off from the ice, with a very light
air from the northward. We occasionally caught a glimpse of the land through
the heavy fog-banks, with which the horizon was covered, which was sufficient to
give us an idea of the true direction in which we ought to steer. Soon after
noon we were once more enveloped in fog, which however, was not so thick
as to prevent our having recourse to a new expedient for steering the ships,
which circumstances at the time naturally suggested to our minds. Before
the fog re-commenced, and while we were sailing on the course which by the
bearings of the land we knew to be the right one, the Griper was exactly
astern of the Hecla, at the distance of about a quarter of a mile. The wea-
ther being fortunately not so thick as to prevent our still seeing her at that
distance, the quarter-master was directed to stand aft, near the taffi-ail, and to
keep her constantly astern of us, by which means we contrived to steer a
tolerably straight course to the westward. The Griper, on the other hand,
naturally kept the Hecla right a-head ; and thus, however ridiculous it may
appear, it is, nevertheless, true, that we steered one ship entirely by the other
for a distance of ten miles out of sixteen and a half, which we sailed between
one and eleven P.M. It then became rather dark, and the water having
shoaled from fifty to twenty-three fathoms somewhat more suddenly than usual,
I did not consider it prudent to run any farther till it should become light and
clear enough to see around us, as it was probable that we were approaching
land of which we had no knowledge. We therefore hauled our wind to the
S.S.E., on the larboard tack, and at midnight had deepened the water to fifty-
two fathoms, being among rather close " sailing ice*."
The wind died away on the morning of the 1st of September, and the fog Sept.
was succeeded by snow and sleet, which still rendered the atmosphere ex- ^^^- '•
tremely thick. At a quarter before four A.M., I was informed by the officer
of the watch that a breeze had sprung up, and that there was very little ice
* The monthly Meteorological Abstracts will be inserted at the end of each month, as
being more convenient for reference than if placed in a continued series iu the Appendix.
K
ABSTRACT of the METEOROLOGICAL JOURNAL kept on board His
Majesty's Ship Hecla, at Sea,
d
uring the Month o( August, 1819.
Day
Temperature of Air
in shade.
Sea Water at the
surface.
j Barometer.
1
1
Prevailing Winds.
Prevailiiig Weather.
Maxi-
Mitii-
Mean.
Tempe-
Specific
Gravity
Tempera
weighed.
Maxi-
mum.
Mini-
Mean.
1
o
36
+
o
33.5
+
O
34.50
+
o
32.6
1.0215
55.5
inches.
29.60
inche3. inches.
29.51 29.540
West
Fresh breezes and hazy.
2
41
33
37.00
34.2
1.0255
52
29.73
29.59
29.660
fN.E.bE.roundby \
I South to West (
5 A.M. S.WbW. )
I P.M. East. 5
From fresh breezes to calms. Fine weather.
3
38
33
35.58
33.2
1.0217
55
29.70
29.50
29.632
Moderate breezes and hazy.
4
37.5
33.5
35.29
32.8
1.0218
55
29.51
29.45
29.481
East
Strong breezes and hazy.
5
35
33.5
34.25
31.7
29.51
29.48
29.496
N.W.
Light airs and cloudy, with snow.
6
35
33
33.83
31.8
1.0232
59
29.50
29.51
29.530
North
Light breezes and cloudy.
7
30
31
33.83
31.6
1.0248
58
29.60
29.53
29.5G2
North
Moderate breezes and cloudy.
8
35
30
32.62
31.5
1.0236
38
29.65
29.59
29.622
N.W.
Light breezes and cloudy.
9
39.5
30.5
33.92
30.9
1.0255
50
29.07
29.62
29.650
N.W.bW.toS.S.W.
Ditto.
10
36
31
33.00
31.2
1.0246
56
29.55
29.52
29.540
S.bW.
i Moderate breezesand hazy, with rain and snow.
11
35
33
33.42
31.0
1.0214
56
29.60
29.49
29.567
S.bW. :
Moderate and foggy, with continued rain.
12
35
30
32.58
31.4
1.02J0
55
29.85
29.80
29.820
N.bE.
Moderate and foggy, with rain at intervals.
13
40
30
3G.88
32.2
1.0237
51
29.80
29.72
29.810
S.W.
Light airs and fine clear weather.
14
42
34
30.75
32.7
1.0239
55
29.76
29.ei
29.717
N.N.W. to S.S.W.
Ditto ditto.
15
39
32
35.21
33.1
1.0236
55
29.63
29.61
29.620
S. Westerly.
Ditto ditto.
16
36
33
34.00
32.8
1.0242
55
29.68
29.61
29.642
5 S.S.E. round by >
I S. to W.N.W. 5
Light airs and hazy ; calm at times.
17
35
32
33.42
32.6
1.0242
55
29.66
29.63
29.652
S.W.
Light airs and foggy weather.
18
36
32.5
33.67
32.5
1.0236
55
29.64
29.60
29.625
5 A.M. S.W.bW. ?
t P.M. N.E.bE. 1
Light breezes and cloudy.
19
33
32
32.83
32.8
1.0233
57
;29.55
29.53
29542
E.bN.
Sttongbreezei & hazy, with rain, hail, & sleet.
20
36
33
34.86
32.6
1.0233
57
29.63
29.57
29.610
E.bN.
Light breezes and hazy weather.
21
36
33
34.79
32.5
1.018S
58
29.66
29.62
29.650
Round the compass.
Ditto
22
38
33
35.62
33.2
1.0235
54
29.76
29.67
29.729
Ditto.
Light variable airs— A.M. hazy, P.M. clear.
23
36
32
33.75
31.5
1.0247
54
29.76
29.66
29.712
North
Moderate breezes and cloudy.
24
30
28
29.50
30.1
1.0246
54
29.66
29.61
29.634
N.N.W.
Fresh breezes and cloudy.
25
26
27
28
32
35
34
34
30
30
30.5
30
30.54
31.92
32.58
32.00
30.2
30.4
30.9
31.8
29.87
30.06
29.96
29.70
29.64
29.95
29.80
29.60
29.757
30.012
29.900
29.657
N.W.
N.W.b.W.
S.S.W.
S.S.E. to N.E.
Ditto.
Ditto.
Light breezes and fine clear weather.
Light breezes and foggy.
Light airs and foggy.
Fresh breezes and foggy.
Light airs, with sleet and snow.
29
30
31
32
34
34
31
30
31
31.75
32.08
32.21
31.7
31.1
31.4
29.57
29.36
29.59
29.40
29.31
29.39
29.482
29.332
29.510
S.E.
N.E.
5 N.W. round by )
I North to East J
42
28
33,67
31.93
30.06
29.31
29.635
VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY. Gf
near the ships. Anxious to take advantage of these favourable circumstances,
I directed all sail to be made to the westward : there was no difficulty in com-
plying with the first part of this order, but to ascertain which way the wind
was blowing, and to which quarter of the horizon the ship's head was to be
directed, was a matter of no such easy accomplishment ; nor could we devise
any means of determining this question till five o'clock, when we obtained a
sight of the sun through the fog, and were thus enabled to shape our course,
the wind being moderate from the northward.
In standing to the southward, we had gradually deepened the water to one
hundred and five fathoms, and our soundings now as gradually decreased as
we stood to the westward ; giving us reason to believe, as on the preceding
night, and from the experience we had acquired of the navigation among
these islands, that we were approaching land in that direction. In this sup-
position we were not deceived, for, at half-past eight, the fog having sud-
denly cleared up, we found ourselves within four or five miles of a low point
of land which was named after Mr. Griffiths, and which, being at the
distance of six or seven leagues from Byam Martin Island, we considered to
be part of another of the same group. We sailed along the shore at the
distance of two to four miles in a S.W.b.W. direction, and having dropped a
boat to obtain observations upon the ice, without heaving-to for that purpose,
we found ourselves to be, at noon, in latitude 74° 59' 35", and longitude,
by chronometers, 106° 07 36". This land very much resembled, in height
and general character, the other islands which we had lately passed, being in
most parts of a brownish colour, among which we also imagined a little green
to be here and there discernible. We had some small rain in the afternoon,
which was succeeded by snow towards midnight.
At one A.M. on the 2d, a star was seen, being the first that had been ihurs. 2.
visible to us for more than two months. The fog came on again this morning,
which, together with the lightness of the wind preventing the ships getting
sufficient way to keep them under command, occasioned them some of the
heaviest blows which they had yet received during the voyage, although the
ice was generally so loose and broken as to have allowed an easy passage
with a moderate and leading wind. As none of the pieces near us were large
enough for securing the ships in the usual manner, we could only heave-to,
to windward of one of the heaviest masses, and allow the ship to drive Avith
it till some favourable change should take place. After lying for an hour in
this inactive and helpless situation, we again made sail, the weather being
68 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
rather more clear, which discovered to us that the main body of the ice wass
about three miles distant from the land, the intermediate space being very
thickly covered with loose pieces through which our passage was to be
sought. As we stood in for the land in the forenoon, we decreased our
soundings uniformly from twenty-seven to eleven fathoms at one and a half or
two miles from the beach, and a boat, which I sent to sound in-shore, found
the water to shoal very regularly to six fathoms at about half a mile. At
this distance from the beach, there were many large masses of ice aground ;
and it was here that the method so often resorted to in the subsequent part
of the voyage, of placing the ships between these masses and the land, in
case of the ice closing suddenly upon us, first suggested itself to our minds.
As we were making no way to the westward, I directed two boats to be pre-
pared from each ship for the purpose of making the usual observations on
shore, as well as to endeavour to kill deer; and, at one P.M., I left the ship,
accompanied by a large party of officers and men, and was soon after joined
by the Griper's boats. We landed on a very flat sandy beach, which did not
allow the boats to come nearer than their own length, and we were imme-
diately struck with the general resemblance in the character of this island to
that of Byam Martin Island, which we had lately visited. The basis of this
land is sandstone, but we met with limestone also, occurring in loose pieces on
the surface, and several lumps of coal were brought in by the parties Avho had
traversed the island in diiferent directions. Our sportsmen were by no means
successful, having seen only two deer, which were too wild to allow them to
get near them. The dung of these animals, however, as well as that of the
musk-ox was very abundant, especially in those places where the moss was
most luxuriant ; every here and there we came to a spot of this kind,
consisting of one or two acres of ground covered with a rich vegetation, and
which was evidently the feeding-place of those animals, there being quantities
of their hair and wool lying scattered about. Several heads of the musk-
ox were picked up, and one of the Hecla's seamen brought to the boat a
narwhal's horn which he found on a hill more than a mile from the
sea, and which must have been carried thither by Esquimaux or by bears :
three or four brace of ptarmigan fTetrao Lagopus,J were killed, and these
were the only supply of this kind which we obtained. Serjeant Martin
of the artillery, and Captain Sabine's servant, brought down to the beach
several pieces of a large fir-tree, which they found nearly buried in the sand,
at the distance of three or four hundred yards from the present high-water
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 69
mark, and not less than thirty feet above the level of the sea. We found no I8i9.
indication of this part of the island having been inhabited, unless the ^"^^
narwhal's horn, above alluded to, be considered as such.
The latitude of the place of observation here, which was within a
hundred yards of the beach, was 74° 58', the longitude, by chronometers,
107° 03' 31".7, and the variation of the magnetic needle 151° 30' 03" eas-
terly. At forty minutes past one P.M., when the boats landed, the tide
had fallen a foot by the shore. It continued to fall till seven P.M., and
then rose again, the whole fall of tide not exceeding five or five and a half
feet. At the time we landed. Lieutenant Beechey tried for a current in the
offing, but could find none ; at half-past seven, the tide was setting E.N.E., at
the rate of a mile and a half an hour ; and, at a quarter before ten, after 1
returned on board, it was still setting slowly to the eastward. By the
above observations, the time of high water, at the full and change of the
moon, seems to be about three quarters after one o'clock. The direction of
the flood-tide does not appear so clear. If it come from the westward, there
must be a tide and half tide ; but it seems more than probable, on an in-
spection of the chart, that here, as on the eastern sideof Byam Martin Island,
it will be found to come from the northward between the islands. At the
top of a hill, immediately above the place of observation, and about a mile
from the sea, a bottle was buried, containing the usual information. A mound
of sand and stones was raised over it, and a boarding-pike fixed in the middle.
We returned on board at half past eight, and found that Lieutenant Beechey
had, in the mean time, taken a number of useful soundings, and made other
hydrographical remarks for carrying on the survey of the coast.
The wind continued light and variable till half-past eight A.M. on the 3d, Fiwl. 3.
when a breeze from the northward once more enabled us to make some
progress. I was the more anxious to do so, from having perceived that the
main ice had, for the last twenty-four hours, been gradually, though slowly,
closing on the shore, thereby contracting the scarcely navigable channel in
which we were sailing. The land which formed our western extreme was a
low point, five miles to the westward of our place of observation the preceding
day, and the ice had already approached this point so much, that there was
considerable doubt whether any passage could be found between them. As wc
neared the point, we shoaled the water rather quickly, though regularly, from
thirty to seven fathoms ; but, by keeping a little farther out, which fortunately
the ice just at that time allowed us to do, we avoided getting into shoaler
70 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
water, and immediately after rounding the point, we increased our soundings
to sixteen and seventeen fathoms. We had scarcely cleared the point, how-
ever, when the wind failed us, and the boats were immediately sent a-head
to tow, but a breeze springing up shortly after from the westward, obliged
us to have recourse to another method of gaining ground which we had not
hitherto practised : this was by using small anchors and whale-lines as warps,
by which means Ave made great progress, till, at forty minutes after noon,
we were favoured by a fresh breeze, which soon took us into an open space
of clear water to the northward and westward. While we were thus em-
ployed on board, Mr. Ross, after whom I named this point, had been des-
patched in a boat to sound in-shore near it, where there were a great many
large masses of ice aground, in order that we might be prepared to place the
ships in the most advantageous position, should the ice unexpectedly close
upon the shore, Mr. Ross reported, that he had found good depth of water
in-shore, the ice being aground in five to seven fathoms, after which the water
shoaled gradually towards the land. A little to the westward of Point Ross,
there was a barrier of this kind of ice, composed of heavy masses firmly fixed
to the ground at nearly regular intervals for about a mile, in a direction
parallel to the beach. At right angles to this, a second tier projected, of the
same kind of ice, extending to the shore, so that the two together formed a
most complete harbour, within which, I believe, a ship might have been
placed in case of necessity, without much danger from the pressure of the
external floes of ice. It was natural for us to keep in view the possibility of
our being obliged to pass the ensuing winter in such a harbour ; and, it must
be confessed, that the apparent practicability of finding such tolerable security
for the ships as this artificial harbour affbrded, should we fail in discovering a
more safe and regular anchorage, added not a little to the confidence with
which our operations were carried on during the remainder of the present
season.
The land immediately to the north-westward of Point Ross forms a
considerable bay, named after Mr. Skene, off which there was a large
space of clear water, where we had to beat to the northward during the
afternoon, as the ice lay in that direction. In standing off-and-on, we
shoaled the water in one place very suddenly from nineteen to eleven
fathoms, at the distance of one mile from the beach. Having tacked, I
sent Mr. Bushnan to sound in-shore, where a shoal was discovered three
quarters of a mile from the land, having three and four fathoms upon it, and
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 71
within it from eight to thirteen fathoms. The sun-set of this evening was
extremely beautiful, the weather being clear and frosty, and the sky
without a cloud. The moon rising soon after, afforded a spectacle no less
pleasing, and far more sublime. Her horizontal diameter appeared to be
very much elongated when just above the horizon, owing to the unequal
refraction of the upper and lower limbs ; but it measured 33' 20", being
only 6" more than the true, which difference may have arisen from an error
in the observation. The vertical diameter measured 30' 40' .
Having weathered all the ice round which we had to sail, in order to pro- Sat. 4.
ceed to the westward, we were under the necessity of lying-to, off Skene Bay,
for some hours, the weather having become very squally and unsettled, with
occasional fog, and the night not being sufficiently light to ascertain whether
there was a passage between the ice and a point of land which forms the
western extreme of the bay. On its eastern side an inlet, two miles wide .
at the entrance, was discovered, and named after Mr. Beverly, and at the
bottom of this we did not see the land all round. At half-past two A.M., we
made sail to the westward, the Griper having been directed by signal to
extend her distance ; a precaution which was always adopted in cases
where shoal-water was to be apprehended, in order to avoid the risk of both
ships grounding at the same time. As we approached the point, the sound-
ings decreased gradually from thirty to seven fathoms, in which depth I
tacked, and despatched Mr. Palmer in a boat to sound round the point, to
which I gave the name of Cape Palmer, after the gentleman intrusted
with this service. Having been informed by signal from the boat, that no
less than six fathoms' water had been found, we again tacked, and soon after
rounded the point in that depth, at the distance of three quarters of a
mile from a low sandy beach. We then ran several miles along the shore
without much obstruction, till the wind, backing to the north-west, obliged
us to make several tacks between the ice and the land, the navigable channel
being at this time between three and four miles wide. At noon we observed, in
latitude 74° 54' 49 ", the longitude, by chronometers, being 108° 31' 44", at which
time we were off a low, sandy island, which was named after Mr. Dealy, and
which lies near the entrance into a large inlet, to which the name of Bridport
Inlet was given, from regard to the memory of the late Lord Bridport. This
inlet runs a considerable distance to the northward, and seemed to afford good
shelter for ships ; but, as we had no opportunity of examining it in our
boats, I am unable to state any further particulars respecting it. The land to the
"^2 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
^819. westward of it, of which the most conspicuous part is a remarkable bluff head-
v^^^. land, is much higher than that about Skene Bay; and we ceased to obtain any
soundings with the hand-leads after we had passed the entrance of Bridport
Inlet. At a quarter-past nine P.M., we had the satisfaction of crossing the
meridian of 110° west from Greenwich, in the latitude of 74° 44' 20"; by
which His Majesty's ships, under my orders, became entitled to the sum of
five thousand pounds, being the reward offered by the King's order in coun-
cil, grounded on a late Act of Parliament, to such of His Majesty's subjects
as might succeed in penetrating thus far to the westward within the Arctic
Circle. In order to commemorate the success which had hitherto attended
our exertions, the bluff headland, which we had just passed, was subsequently
called by the men Bounty Cape ; by which name I have, therefore, distin-
guished it on the chart.
As we stood to the westward, we found the extreme of the land in that
direction to be a low point, which was named after Samuel Hearne, the
well-known American traveller, and to the north-eastward of which is a
bay of considerable extent, which was perfectly free from ice. We con-
tinued our course towards Cape Hearne till midnight, when, the weather
being too dark to run any longer with safety, the ships were hove-to with their
heads to the eastward. One black whale was seen^ in the course of this
day's navigation, off Bridport Inlet ; and some flocks of snow-buntings were
flying about the ship at night.
Sun. 5. At a quarter before three A.M., on the 5th, we tacked, and stood to the
westward, with the hope of getting past Cape Hearne, the wind being
moderate from the northward, and the weather thick with snow; and,
shortly after, we shoaled the water quickly from twenty-five to thirteen, and
then to nine, fathoms. We tacked in the latter depth, believing that we were
approaching a shoal, especially as we were near some heavy ice, which,
having a tide-mark upon it, appeared to be aground. We afterwards found,
however, that we had at this time been actually within three or four hundred
yards of Cape Hearne, which is so surrounded by heavy ice at a sufficient
distance from the shore, that it would perhaps be difficult to run a ship
aground upon it. The error into which we were here led, as to our distance
from the beach, arose from the extreme difficulty of distinguishing, even in
broad day-light, between the ice and the land, when the latter is low and
shelving, and completely covered with snow ; by the uniform whiteness of
which, they are so completely blended, as to deceive the best eye. Indeed,
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. ■ 73
I know no circumstance in the navigation of these seas which renders more 1819
necessary a vigilant look-out, and a careful attention to the hand-leads than -..J^
the deception to which I here allude.
Having stood again to the westward, to take a nearer view of the ice, we
perceived that it lay quite close in with Cape Hearne, notwithstanding the
fresh northerly wind which, for the last thirty-six hours, had been blowing
from the shore, and which had drifted the ice some distance to the south-
ward, in every other part of the coast along which we had lately been sailing.
This circumstance struck us very forcibly at the time, as an extraordinary
one ; and it was a general remark among us, that the ice must either be
aground in shoal-water, or that it butted against something to the southward,
which prevented its moving in that direction. Appearances being thus dis-
couraging, nothing remained to be done but to stand off-and-on near the point,
and carefully to watch for any opening that might occur.
After divine service had been performed, I assembled the officers, seamen,
and marines of the Hecia, and announced to them officially, that their
exertions had so far been crowned with success, as to entitle them to the first
prize in the scale of rewards, granted by His Majesty's order in council above-
mentioned. I took this opportunity of impressing upon the minds of the men
the necessity of the most strenuous exertions during the short remainder
of the present season ; assuring them that, if we could penetrate a few de-
grees farther to the westward, before the ships were laid up for the winter,
I had little doubt of our accomplishing the object of our enterprise before the
close of the next season. I also addressed a letter to Lieutenant Liddon,
to the same effect, and directed a small addition to be made to the usual
allowance of meat, and some beer to be served, as a Sunday's dinner, on this
occasion.
The wind increasing to a fresh gale from the northward in the afternoon,
and the ice still continuing to oppose an impenetrable barrier to our further
progress, I determined to beat up to the northern shore of the bay, and,
if a tolerable roadstead could be found, to drop our anchors till some change
should take place. This was accordingly done at three P.M., in seven fathoms'
water, the bottom being excellent holding-ground, composed of mud and sand,
from which the lead could with difficulty be extricated. When we veered
to half a cable, we had ten fathoms' water under the Hecla's stern, our
distance from the northern shore being about a mile and a half This
roadstead, which I called the Bav of the Hecla and Griper, affords very
I,
74 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1819. secure shelter with the wind from E.N.E., round by north, to S.W., and we
J,rS^ found it more free from ice than any other part of the southern coast of the
island.
I had great reason to be satisfied with our having anchored the ships, as
the wind shortly after blew a hard gale from the northward. In the evening
I sent Captain Sabine and Messrs. Edwards and Nias on shore to examine the
country, and to collect specimens of its natural productions ; they returned at
ten P.M., having landed on a low point a little to the westward of the ships,
which they found to be a very barren and unproductive spot ; several flocks
of ducks were seen, and some glaucous gulls and tern ; the dung and foot-
tracks of the deer and musk-ox were also observed in many places ; and some
addition was made by our gentlemen to our collection of marine insects. The
rocks are composed entirely of sandstone, but a few small pieces of granite,
flint, and coal, were also among the specimens brought on board. This
island, on which our boats had now landed for the second time, and Avhich is
much the largest of the group we had lately discovered, I honoured with the
name of Melville Island, after Viscount Melville, the First Lord of the
Admiralty.
The bay of the Hecla and Griper was the first spot where we had dropped
anchor since leaving the coast of Norfolk ; a circumstance which was rendered
the more striking to us at the moment, as it appeared to mark, in a very de-
cided manner, the completion of one stage of our voyage. The ensigns and
pendants were hoisted as soon as we had anchored, and it created in us no
ordinary feelings of pleasure to see the British flag waving, for the first time,
in these regions, which had hitherto been considered beyond the limits of the
habitable part of the world.
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 75
CHAPTER IV.
FURTHER EXAMINATION OF MELVILLE ISLAND CONTINUATION OF OUR PRO-
GRESS TO THE WESTWARD LONG DETENTION BY THE ICE — PARTY SENT
ON SHORE TO HUNT DEER AND MUSK-OXEN RETURN IN THREE DAYS, AFTER
LOSING THEIR WAY — ANXIETY ON THEIR ACCOUNT — PROCEED TO THE
WESTWARD, TILL FINALLY STOPPED BY THE ICE — IN RETURNING TO THE
EASTWARD THE GRIPER FORCED ON THE BEACH BY THE ICE — SEARCH FOR,
AND DISCOVERY OF, A WINTER HARBOUR ON MELVILLE ISLAND — OPERA-
TIONS FOR SECURING THE SHIPS IN THEIR WINTER QUARTERS.
As the wind still continued to blow strong from the northward on the morn-
ing of the 6th, without any appearance of opening a passage for us past Cape
Hearne, I took the opportunity of sending all our boats from both ships at
eight A.M., to bring on board a quantity of moss-peat which our gentlemen
reported having found near a small lake at no great distance from the sea,
and which I directed to be substituted for part of our usual allowance of
coals. Captain Sabine also went on shore to make the requisite observations,
and several of the officers of both ships to sport, and to collect specimens of
natural history. The boats rowed round the point on which they had landed
the preceding evening, and which Captain Sabine now selected as the most
convenient place of observation ; and discovered just beyond it to the north-
ward, a small harbour, having a bar at its entrance, upon which Mr. Fife,
the Greenland master of the Griper, after whom the harbour was named,
found ten feet water at nearly low tide.
The latitude of the point is 74° 46' 56", and its longitude, by our chrono-
meters, 110° 33' 59". The dip of the magnetic needle was found to be
88° 29'.91, and the variation 126° 17' 18" Easterly. It was low water by the
Mon.
76 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1819. shore at half-past nine, and it had risen between two and three feet when
,..,!^ the boats came away at half-past twelve. During this time the ships were
tending to a tide coming strong from the eastward ; from which direction it is
therefore probable, that the flood-tide runs on this part of the coast, though
we had no satisfactory opportunity of trying its true set in the offing. Near
the point where the observations were made, a bottle was buried, containing
a paper as usual, and a pile of stones raised over it. The weather was this
day unusually cold to the feelings, to a greater degree even than might have
been expected from the indication of the thermometer, which, for the first
time, had been as low as 25°.
The wind beginning to moderate soon after noon, and there being at length
some appearance of motion in the ice near Cape Hearne, the boats were im-
mediately recalled from the shore, and returned at two P.M., bringing some
peat, which was found to burn tolerably, but a smaller quantity than I had
hoped to procure, owing to a misunderstanding as to the distance at which
it was to be found from the sea. At half-past tAvo, as soon as the ship's
company had dined, we began to heave at the cable, but so excellent is the
holding-ground, that it required all the purchase as well as strength we could
apply, to start the anchor by half-past four. We then made sail for Cape
Hearne, which we rounded at six o'clock, having no soundings with from
seventeen to twenty fathoms of line, at the distance of a mile and a quarter
from the point. The extreme of the land which now appeared to the west-
ward bore about S.W.b.W., and there was a sufficient space of clear water
along the shore to allow us to steer for it. It was impossible, however, not
to remark to how short a distance from the shore, not exceeding three or four
miles, the ice had been drifted by the late strong gales. We had observed,
however, that in rounding Cape Hearne this evening, the wind had drawn
gradually to the eastward as we proceeded, taking nearly the direction of
the shore, and we were willing to hope that it had been blowing from the
same quarter, while we were lying at anchor in the bay ; in which case it
was not necessary to suppose any such serious obstruction to the southward
as that to which we had at first been inclined to attribute these unfavourable
appearances.
I was beginning once more to indulge in those flattering hopes, of which
often-repeated disappointments cannot altogether deprive us, when I per-
ceived, from the crow's nest, a compact body of ice, extending completely
in to the shore near the point which formed the western extreme. We ran
J
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 77
1819.
sufficiently close, to be assured that no passage to the westward could at ^^ ^
present be effected, the floes being literally upon the beach, and not a drop ^^r»j
of clear water being visible beyond them. I then ordered the ships to be
made fast to a floe, being in eighty fathoms' water, at the distance of four or
five miles from the beach. The season had now so far advanced, as to make
it absolutely necessary to secure the ships every night from ten till two
o'clock, the weather being too dark during that interval to allow of our
keeping under-way in such a navigation as this, deprived as we were of
the use of the compasses. But, however anxious the hours of darkness must
necessarily be under such circumstances, the experience of the former voyage
had given us every reason to believe, that the month of September would
prove the most valuable period of the year for prosecuting our discoveries in
these regions, on account of the sea being more clear from ice at this time
than at any other. Feeling, therefore, as I did, a strong conviction, that the
ultimate accomplishment of our object must depend, in a great measure, on
the further progress we should make this season, I determined to extend our
operations to the latest possible period.
The wind having been fresh from the north-east during the night, we were Tues. 7.
this morning enclosed for a time by a quantity of loose ice drifting down upon
us. No change could be perceived in the state of the ice to the westward till
one P.M., when it appeared to be moving a little off the point. We
therefore warped the ships out, and made sail with a light but favourable
breeze. At eight P.M., however, having arrived at the point, and finding no
passage open, we made the ships fast in a large bay in a floe, in sixty-five
fathoms, at the distance of a mile and a half from the shore. I sent
Lieutenant Beechey on shore to look round from the hills for open
water to the westward, as well as to sound round some heavy masses of ice
which were aground in-shore, and within which it would perhaps become
expedient to secure the ships in case of necessity. He reported on his
return, at ten P.M., that no clear water whatever could be seen along
the land, the ice being compact, and close in to the shore, as far as a bold
headland which now formed the western extreme of the island, and which
was from four to five leagues distant from us. The ice aground in-shore
was very close to the beach, which was steep-to, as our soundings in the offing
indicated. Lieutenant Beechey found, however, a depth of from twelve to
four fathoms Avithin many of the masses ; but as there was little or no
room to swing within them, I preferred keeping the ships in their present
78 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
situation, while the ice remained quiet. I was the more induced to do so from
the boldness of the beach, and the depth of the bay formed by the floe
to which we were now secured, which circumstances seemed to render it
more than probable, that the latter would take the ground long before the
ships could come in contact with it. We saw to-day, for the first time, a herd
of eight or nine animals, feeding near the beach, which, from their dark colour,
we supposed to be musk-oxen; and the officers of the Griper killed two white
hares (Lepus Variabilis). The " young" or "bay" ice formed during the night
in all the sheltered places about the floe, and particularly in the bight in
which we were lying, to the thickness of three-quarters of an inch ; and the
pools upon the floe were now almost entirely solid, affording the officers
and men, during the time of our unavoidable detention, the usual healthy
amusements of skating and sliding.
AVed. 8. On the morning of the 8th, there being no prospect of any immediate
alteration in the ice, I directed the boats to be sent on shore from both
ships, to endeavour to procure some game, as well as to examine the pro-
ductions of this part of the island. On going to the mast-head, shortly
after the boats had been despatched, I found that the bight of ice in which
the ships were lying was not one floe, but formed by the close junction
of two, so that our situation was by no means so secure as I had sup-
posed ; for this bight was so far from being a protection to us, in case of
the ice driving on shore, that it would probably be the means of " nipping"
us between the floes which formed it. I therefore determined on imme-
diately removing the ships in-shore, and went in a boat to look out for
a place for that purpose, there being no alternative between this and our
returning some distance to the eastward, into the larger space of clear
water which we had there left behind us. I found that a heavy piece of ice
aground in twelve fathoms, at the distance of three hundred yards from
the beach, would suit our purpose for the Hecla, and another, in ten
fathoms, still nearer in-shore, was selected for the Griper. These masses
were from twenty to thirty feet above the sea, and each about the length
of the respective ships. The beach in this neighbourhood was so lined
with ice of this kind, that it would not have been easy for a ship to
have gone on shore in any part, there being generally from four to seven
fathoms on the outside of it, while the inner part of each mass was
literally upon the beach at low water. Some of the detached masses, at
a little distance from the shore, must have accumulated very considera-
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 79
bly since they grounded, or else must have been forced up into their pre- ]819.
sent situations by an enormous pressure from without ; as some of those J^P^
now aground in four or five fathoms would have drawn at least ten, if set
afloat again*.
At four P.M., the weather being quite calm, the ships were towed in-
shore by the boats, and made fast in the places selected for them. Our
parties from the shore returned with a white hare, several fine ptarmigans,
a few snow-buntings, some skulls of the musk-ox, and several rcin-deers'
horns ; but they were not fortunate enough to meet with either of the two
latter animals. The island is here, as in the other parts on which we had
landed, principally composed of sandstone, of which some spherical nodules,
one of them a^ large as a nine-pounder shot, were brought on board. Several
lumps of coal, which was here more abundant than we had yet found it,
were also picked up, and were found to burn with a clear lively flame,
like cannel coal, but without splitting and crackling in the same manner.
Impatient and anxious as we were to make the most of the short remainder Thurs. 9.
of the present season, our mortification will easily be imagined at perceiving,
on the morning of the 9th, not only that the ice was as close as ever to the
westward, but that the floes in our innnediate neighbourhood were sensibly
approaching the shore. As there was no chance, therefore, of our being en-
abled to move, I sent a party on shore at day-light to collect what coal they
could find, and in the course of the day nearly two-thirds of a bushel, being
about equal to the Hecla's daily expenditure, was brought on board. Our
sportsmen, who were out for several hours, could only procure us a hare,
and a few ducks.
The wind was light from the southward and westward, with foggy weather,
which was afterwards succeeded by snow, and the ice continued gradually to
close on the shore till at length a floe came in contact with our berg, but with
so little violence as to produce no sensible effect upon it. The loose and heavy
pieces of ice found their way in, and surrounded the Hecla on all sides, but
produced no pressure from which any danger was to be apprehended. Con-
* For want of some more appropriate name by which these masses of ice might be dis-
tinguished, we were always in the habit of caUing them bergs, which indeed they exactly
resemble, though comparatively of small dimensions, and evidently formed in a very
different manner from those enormous ice-islands, which are met with in Baffin's Bay, but
of which we saw none to the westward of Barrow's Strait.
80 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
sidering our present detention so near the shore a good opportunity for observ-
ing the time and rise of the tides, I caused a pole to be fixed on the beach for
this purpose, by which it was found to be high water at half-past four in the
morning; and the tide ebbed till half-past ten. From this time till three quar-
ters after four P.M., when it was again high water, the tide had risen two feet
eight inches; so that, small as this tide is, it seems to be very regular. The
direction of the stream of flood was, as usual, not so easy to determine, but I
shall give the facts as they occurred. At the time of low water by the shore,
and for an hour and a quarter before it took place, the current was setting to
the eastward, at the rate of three quarters of a mile per hour. It continued
to run thus for the greater part of the day, but at times it was observed to set
in the opposite direction, and now and then no current whatever was percep-
tible. From eight till eleven P.M., it was running strong to the westward,
after which it stopped, and then began to set the ice the contrary way. I have
been thus minute in mentioning the above particulars, not with a hope of
throwing any light upon the interesting question of the direction of the tides
in tl|is part of the Polar Sea, but to shew how impossible it is, with the land
close to us on one side, and on the other innumerable masses of ice in almost
constant motion, to arrive at any satisfactory conclusion on this subject.
Frid. 10. It was nearly calm on the 10th, with thick snowy weather, which prevented
our seeing to any great distance round us. At five A.M., a floe coming from
the westward, ran against the berg, within which the Hecla was still secured,
turning it round as on a pivot. This occurrence is not an uncommon one in
Davis' Strait, with bergs of very large size, when the centre part of them only
happens to be upon the ground. We were by this time so surrounded by ice
that no clear water was to be seen, except the small pool in which we lay ; and
all that could be done, under such circumstances, was to watch the motion of
the ice, and to be ready to shift the ship quickly round the berg, according as
the floes, by setting one way or the other, might endanger her being "nipped."
In the afternoon the ice slackened a little near us, when an attempt was made
to get the Hecla into a more secure birth in-shore ; but, after heaving a heavy
strain occasionally for several hours, we could only succeed before dark in
getting her into a small nook near the beach, in which, if no very violent
pressure occurred, she might be tolerably secure during the night. A party re-
turned in the evening from a shooting-excursion to the western cape, bringing
with them only three hares, and reporting that the sea was entirely covered
with ice as far as they could see to the westward from the hills.
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 81
Mr. Fisher made an experiment on the specific gravity of a piece of ice,
taken from the mass to which the ship was secured. Being formed into a cube,
whose sides measured one foot three inches and a half, and set to float in the
sea, two inches and three quarters of it remained above the surface, the tem-
perature of the water at the time being 31°.
On the 11th there was no alteration in the ice near the ships, and Mr. Bush- Sat. 11.
nan, whom 1 despatched at day -light to the western cape, reported, on his return,
that appearances were equally unpromising in that quarter. Mr. Dealy was
fortunate enough to kill the first musk-ox that our sportsmen had yet been able
to get near ; but, as it was at the distance of eight or ten miles from the ships,
our present situation, with regard to the ice, would not allow of my sending a
party of men to bring it on board. A piece of the meat which Mr. Dealy
brought with him was considered to taste tolerably well, but its smell was by
no means tempting. The dip of the magnetic needle, observed here by Captain
Sabine to-day, was 88° 36'. 95.
The wind increased to a fresh gale from the northward during the night, and Sun. 12.
on the morning of the 12th flew round to the N.N.W. in a very violent gust.
Soon after the ice began to drift past us to the eastward, at the rate of a mile
an hour, and carried away Avith it the berg to which the Hecla had been at-
tached on the 9th and 10th ; so that we considered ourselves fortunate in having
moved to our present birth, which was comparatively a safe one. The Griper
remained also tolerably secure, and well sheltered from the drifting ice, which
in the course of the forenoon, had acquired a velocity of more than a mile and
a half per hour. In the afternoon the ice began by degrees to drift from the
shore to the westward of us, but the wind blowing hard from the wrong
quarter, it was impossible to think of moving the ships. A constant and
vigilant look-out was also necessary, lest the berg to which our hawsers were
secured should be forced off the ground, in which case we must inevitably have
been driven back many miles to the eastward, and the labour of the last ten
days would have been lost in a few hours. The night was cold and inclement,
with a heavy fall of snow, which being blown among the hills, caused great
drifts in the ravines, by which this part of the island is intersected.
I must now mention an occurrence which had caused considerable appre-
hension in our minds for the two last days, and the result of which had nearly
proved of very serious importance to the future welfare of the expedition.
Early on the morning of the 11th 1 received a note from Lieutenant Liddon,
acquainting me thi*t, at day-light the preceding day, Mr. Fife, with a party of
M
82 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
six men, had been despatched from the Griper, with the hope of surprising
some rein-deer and musk-oxen, whose tracks had been seen in a ravine to the
westward of the ships. As they had not yet returned, in compliance with the
instructions given to Mr. Fife, and had only been supplied with a small quan-
tity of provisions, it was natural to apprehend that they had lost their way in
pursuit of game, more especially as the night had been too inclement for them
to have voluntarily exposed themselves to it. I therefore recommended to
Lieutenant Liddon to send a party in search of his people, and Messrs. Reid,
Beverly, and Wakeham, who immediately volunteered their services on the
occasion, were accordingly despatched for this purpose. Soon after their de-
parture, however, it began to snow, which rendered the atmosphere so ex-
tremely thick, especially on the hills along which they had to travel, that this
party also lost their way in spite of every precaution, but fortunately got
sight of our rockets after dark, by which they were directed to the ships, and
returned at ten o'clock, almost exhausted with cold and fatigue, without any
intelligence of the absentees. >
At day-light on the following morning I sent Lieutenant Hoppner, with the
Hecla's fore-royal-mast rigged as a flag-staff, which he erected on a conspicuous
hill four or five miles inland, hoisting upon it a large ensign, which might be
seen at a considerable distance in every direction. This expedient occurred to
us as a more certain mode of directing our absentees towards the ships than
that of sending out a number of parties, which I could not, in common pru-
dence, as well as humanity, permit to go to any great distance from the ships ;
but the snow fell so thick, and the drift was so great, during the whole of the
12th, that no advantage could at that time be expected from it, and another
night came without the absent paity appearing.
Mon. 13. - Our apprehensions on their account had by this time increased to a most
painful degree, and I therefore ordered four parties, under the command of
careful officers, to be prepared to set out in search of them the following
morning. These parties carried with them a number of pikes, having small
flags attached to them, which they were directed to plant at regular inter-
vals, and which were intended to answer the double purpose of guiding
themselves on their return, and of directing the absent party, should
they meet with them, to the ships. For the latter purpose a bottle was
fixed to each pike, containing the necessary directions for their guidance,
and acquainting them that provisions would be found at the large flag-stafF
on the hill. Our searching parties left the ships soon after day-light, the
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 83
wind still blowing hard from the westward, with incessant snow, and the
thermometer at 28°. This weather continued without intermission during
the day, and our apprehensions for the safety of our people were excited to
a most alarming degree, when the sun began to descend behind the western
hills, for the third time since they had left the ship ; I will not, therefore,
attempt to describe the joyful feelings we suddenly experienced, on the
Griper's hoisting the signal appointed, to inform us that her men, or a part of
them, were seen on their return. Soon after we observed seven persons
coming along the beach from the eastward, who proved to be Mr. Nias
and his party, with four out of the seven men belonging to the Griper.
From the latter, consisting of the corporal of marines and three sea-
men, we learned that they had lost their way within a few hours after
leaving the ship, and had wandered about without any thing to guide
them till about ten o'clock on the following day, when they descried the
large flag-staff, at a great distance. At this time the whole party were
together ; but now, unfortunately, separated, in consequence of a difference
of opinion respecting the flagstaff, which Mr. Fife mistook for a smaller one
that had been erected some days before at a considerable distance to the east-
ward of our present situation ; and, with that impression, walked away in a
contrary direction, accompanied by two of his men. The other four who had
now returned, (of whom two were already much debilitated,) determined to
make for the flag-staff. When they had walked some distance and were enabled
to ascertain what it was, one of them endeavoured to overtake Mr. Fife, but was
too much fatigued, and returned to his comrades. They halted during a part
of the night, made a sort of hut of stones and turf to shelter them from the
weather, and kindled a little fire with gunpowder and moss to warm their
feet ; they had never been in actual want of food, having lived upon raw
grouse, of which they were enabled to obtain a quantity sufficient for their
subsistence. In the morning they once more set forward towards the flag-
staff, which they reached within three or four hours after Lieutenant Beechey
had left some provisions on the spot : having eaten some bread, and drank a
little rum and water, a mixture which they described as appearing to them per-
fectly tasteless and clammy, they renewed their journey towards the ships,
and had not proceeded far when, notwithstanding the snow which was con-
stantly falling, they met with footsteps which directed them to Mr. Nias and
his party, by whom they were conducted to the ships.
The account they gave us of Mr. Fife and his two companions, led us to
84 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1819. believe that we should find them, if still living, at a considerable distance to
v.^^^ the westward, and some parties were just about to set out in that direction,
when the trouble and anxiety which this mistake would have occasioned us
were prevented by the arrival of another of the searching parties, with the in-
formation that Mr. Fife and the two men were on their way to the ships, being
about five miles to the eastward. Some fresh hands were immediately sent to
bring them in, and they arrived on board at ten P.M., after an absence of
ninety-one hours, and having been exposed, during three nights, to the incle-
mency of the first wintry weather we had experienced. Almost the whole of
this party were much exhausted by cold and fatigue, and several of them were
severely frost-bitten in their toes and fingers ; but, by the skill and unremitted
attention of our medical gentlemen, they were in a few days enabled to return
to their duty.
Before midnight we had still greater reason than ever to be thankful for
the opportune recovery of our people ; for the wind increased to a hard gale
about half-past eleven, at which time the thermometer had fallen to 15° ;
making altogether so inclement a night, as it would have been impossible fiDr
them, in their already debilitated state, to have survived. In humble gra-
titude to God for this signal act of mercy, we distinguished the headland to
the westward of the ships, by the name of Cape Providence.
Tues. 14. Soon after midnight, the land-ice which was interposed between the Hecla
and the beach, and to which the ship was partly secured, broke adrift, and
floated off" the ground ; fortunately, however, we were prepared to cut the
shore hawsers, by which means we avoided the danger of being carried off
the shore, being well secured to the little berg a-head of us, which appeared
to be firmly aground in ten fathoms' water. The stream cable was afterwards
taken to the beach, and I determined, should the berg go adrift, to cut away
our hawsers from it ; and, having checked the ship by the stream-cable till
she swung into five fathoms, at the distance of forty or fifty yards from
the shore, to let go a bower anchor, till the wind should moderate. I com-
municated my intention to Lieutenant Liddon during the day, and directed
him, in case of necessity, rather to run the Griper on the soft beach near us,
than to risk being driven back to the eastward. Fortunately, however, it was
not necessary to resort to this measure, as the ice held fast on the ground,
notwithstanding the violence of the wind, and some sea which got up from
the westward, as the space of open water between the land and the ice
increased in that direction. At three A.M. this morning, the thermometer
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 85
had been as low as 9°, and rose gradually to 17°, at midnight. The sudden 1^819
and unexpected decrease in the general temperature of the atmosphere about
this period was a very striking one ; and from this time, as will appear by
the Meteorological Register, the commencement of winter may fairly
be dated.
Our flag-staves we brought on board early in the morning of the 15th, Wed. 15.
and at ten A.M., the wind being somewhat more moderate, the stream-cable
was cast off from the shore, in readiness for making sail ; but the wind
freshened up once more to a strong gale, which rendered it necessary still to
hold on by our hawsers. In the evening the stream-cable was taken on shore
again, and we landed to make observations for the variation of the needle,
which was found to be 1 17° 52' 22" easterly.
It was observed, for the first time, that a strong current was setting to the Thur. 16.
westward during the whole of the last night, directly against a fresh gale from
that quarter. At nine A.M., the wind being much more moderate, as well
as more off the land, and the weather fine and clear, we cast off, and
made all sail to the westward, running along the land at the distance of
two or three miles from it. At a quarter before noon, we were abreast
of Cape Providence, beyond which, at the distance of three or four leagues,
another headland, still more high and bold in its appearance, was dis-
covered, and named after Mr. Hay, Private Secretary to the First Lord of the
Admiralty. At the place which we left in the morning, the ice had been
driven from the shore to the distance of six or seven miles ; but we found, as
we proceeded, that the channel became gradually more and more contracted,
till at length the ice was observed to extend, in a solid and impenetrable
body, completely in to the very shore, a little to the eastward of Cape Hay.
Our latitude, by account at noon, was 74° 23' 25", longitude 112° 29' 30".
The wind again freshened to a strong gale in the afternoon, reducing us to our
close-reefed topsails, which were as much as the ship would bear, the squalls
blowing out of the ravines with extreme violence. It became necessary,
therefore, to look out for a secure situation for the ships during the ensuing
night, which threatened to be a tempestuous one; but no such situation pre-
sented itself in this neighbourhood ; the whole of the coast to the westward
of Cape Providence being so steep, that the heaviest ice can find no ground
to rest upon. I was therefore reduced to the disagreeable necessity of run-
ning back to the lower shore three miles and a half to the eastward of Cape
Providence, where alone the ships could, under present circumstances, be
86 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1819. placed in tolerable security during six or seven hours of darkness. We found
<iy~^ here twenty-three fathoms at three hundred yards from the shore, and had
fifteen under our stern, at the distance of one hundred and fifty yards. As it
was nearly dark before the Griper arrived, when it is difficult to secure a
ship to the ice. Lieutenant Liddon found it necessary to run into four fathoms,
at one hundred yards from the beech, and there to drop his bower anchor. At
half-past ten P.M., a large mass of ice, which had been aground near us, was
set afloat by the swell and drifted off shore. A strong westerly current,
which was still running to windward, set this ice across our stern, and
occasioned the ship to strike violently several times upon a " tongue" pro-
jecting from it under water : the shocks exactly resembled those of a ship
striking the ground, and the rudder was forcibly lifted two or three times,
but fortunately without receiving any damage. I afterwards learned from
Lieutenant Liddon, that a great quantity of the land-ice had been drifting off
in large pieces during the night near the spot where the Griper had anchored,
keeping her crew employed for several hours in veering and heaving in cable,
in order to avoid it.
Frid.17. At nine A.M. on the 17th, the wind being more moderate and the
weather fine, we cast off and ran along the land ; but had not proceeded
far when it was perceived that the ice, in very heavy and compact floes of
more than usual dimensions, still extended close into the shore near Cape
Hay. We observed, at noon, in latitude 74° 22' 15", our longitude, by
account, being 112° 51'; and, in the afternoon, stood close in to the high
land, which here gives the island a new character, and tacked in forty-three
fathoms, at the distance of five hundred yards from the shore. Further out we
obtained no soundings ; indeed I deemed it so essential to make the most of
the day -light in examining the state of the ice to the westward, that I did not
choose to heave-to for that purpose ; but the appearance of the land, and the
soundings found in-shore, indicate a considerable depth of water on this part
of the coast.
The current which, for the last two days, had been setting to the westward,
and which could not possibly have escaped our observation, had it existed
previous to the late westerly and north-westerly gales, was here found to be
running even stronger than we had before remarked it. This was made parti-
cularly obvious when, having reached the farthest point westward, to which we
could prudently venture to carry the ships, we were obliged to heave-to,
in order to watch for any opening that might favour our views. The ships
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 87
were at this time drifting to leeward through the water at the rate of 1819.
about a mile and a quarter an hour ; in spite of which they went so fast v3^^
to the westward by the land, that Lieutenant Beechey and myself esti-
mated the current to be running at least two. miles per hour in that di-
rection. I must here remark that, besides the current to which I have
now alluded, and by which the floes and other heam/ masses of ice ap-
peared to be affected, there was as usual in this navigation, a superficial
current also, setting the smaller pieces past the others at a much quicker
rate. In the course of this narrative, I shall have frequent occasion to remark,
how, immediately after the springing up of a breeze, such a current ge-
nerally commences running upon the surface in the Polar seas.
Of the causes which now produced this strong westerly current, at a
time when the contrary might rather have been anticipated, it is of course not
easy, with our present limited experience of this part of the Polar Sea,
to offer any very probable conjecture ; but the impression upon our minds at
the time was, that it was perhaps caused by the re-action of the water,
which had been forced to the eastward in the early part of the late gales,
against the ice with which the sea was almost entirely covered in that
direction. Be this as it may, however, we did not fail to draw from it
one conclusion, Avhich was favourable to the object we had in view ;
namely, that the drift of so large a body of ice for days together in a
westerly direction, indicated a considerable space of open sea somewhere
in that quarter. I was, on every account, therefore, desirous to take ad--
vantage of a current which was setting us so fast in the desired direction,
and, with that view, had come to the determination to anchor the ships
to an immense field of ice^ over Avhich we could not see from the mast-
head, and of which the thickness was greater than any I had ever be-
fore seen ; by which means we were in hopes of making some progress,
notwithstanding the unfavourable appearances before us. Ere this could
be effected, however, it was perceived that the main body of the ice
was not only setting to the westward, but was also rapidly approaching
the shore ; so that it was impossible to adopt the proposed measure, with-
out incurring the serious risk of being enclosed between them. Finding that
no further progress could possibly be made at present, and the wind again
freshening up from the westward, with heavy squalls of snow, I was once
more under the necessity of returning to the eastward till some land-ice could
be met with, to which the ships might be secured for the night. They were
88 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1819. accordingly made fast in a proper birth of this kind, not far from that which
v^?,J we had occupied the preceding night, in fifteen fathoms' water, and at a hun-
dred and fifty yards from the beach.
I entertained a hope that our people, and especially the Griper's crew, who
. were still much reduced by the effects of their late sufferings and fatigues,
would have been allowed a good night's rest, of which they stood much in need,
in order to prepare them for fresh exertions in the morning ; but, at eight P.M.,
while it was fortunately yet light enough to see about us, it was perceived that
a large floe to the south-east had very much neared the shore since we an-
chored, rendering it necessary immediately to leave our present situation,
where there was not a single mass of grounded ice on the outside to afford
the smallest shelter to the ships. I determined, therefore, to stand back to
the eastward, and as the night was, for the first time this fortnight past, very
fine and moderate, to keep the ships under way, and to regulate our course,
in the best manner Ave could, by the stars. We had at this time a fine work-
ing breeze off the land, but it gradually died away towards midnight, after
which the " young" ice began to form so rapidly on the surface of the sea, that
we could scarcely get the ships to move through the water ; and at six A.M.
Sat. 18. on the 18th, when we were wiihin a quarter of a mile of the shore, their
way was altogether stopped. The current was still running so fast to the
westward, that we were now swept back along the land at the rate of a mile
and a quarter per hour. An attempt was, therefore, made to run a line to the
shore, but the " young" ice had become so " tough," that the boats could not
succeed in getting through it, while at the same time it was much too weak to
/ allow of their being hauled over it, not exceeding an inch in thickness. As
the main body of the ice to the southward of us Avas now perceived to be in
motion towards the shore, it became essential to the safety of the ships that
they should be got in to the beach in order to secure them, if possible, within
the land ice ; and, as the current was now rather carrying us into deeper
water, I directed the ships to be anchored, as the only means of retaining them
in their present situation till the lines could be run out to the shore. As soon
as Ave had anchored, a second attempt was made to effect this, but with as little
success as before, and Ave Avere very glad to get the boats on board again, the
young ice having nearly carried them aAvay from us to the Avestward. As the
day advanced, however, this ice became gradually thinner and less conti-
nuous ; so that, after much unavailing labour, Ave at length succeeded in
geiting a hawser to the beach, by watching the little openings, and taking the
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 89
opportunity of pushing the boats through them. All the hands which now 18 19
remained on board the Hecla were occupied in weighing the anchor, a service v^r^
which we could not possibly have mustered strength enough to perform, but
for the cheerfulness and zeal Avith which the officers volunteered on this, as
on various other occasions, to man the capstan. Having at length, with much
difficulty, effected this, we were beginning to haul the ship in towards the
beach, when the wind shifted to the south-west, which is rather upon this shore.
It was uncertain what change this might produce in the motion of the floes,
which seemed to be enclosing us rapidly on every side, and as the bay-ice had
now nearly disappeared, it was considered advisable to make sail upon the
ships, so as to be ready to take advantage of any alteration that might occur.
I sent to Lieutenant Ijiddon to desire, that, in case of the ice closing upon us,
and of his being unable to find a proper security for the Griper within the
grounded ice, he would at once run her bow upon the softest part of the
beach, so that the floes might, perhaps, force her up without much damage ;
whereas it would be attended with almost certain destruction to the ships,
should they be caught between the floes and the heavy masses of ice with which
this beach was, for the most part, lined.
By the time that we had made sail, the ice had completely surrounded us
touching the land to the eastward as well as to the westward, and leaving us
only a small pool of open water, in which we were at liberty to beat about.
To the eastward, however, we could perceive from the crow's nest, that there
was still a considerable channel of clear water, and our only chance of getting-
into it was by narrowly watching for any opening that might occur in the ice
which now opposed a formidable barrier to our escape in that direction. At
half-past one P.M., it was observed that a floe, which formed the principal ob-
struction to our progress eastward, and which the current was rapidly carrying
along the shore, had at length come violently in contact with a small point of
land near us, and was now receding from it by its own re-action. We stood
towards this opening, in order to observe it more distinctly, and I hailed the
Griper to desire Lieutenant Liddon to be in readiness to make sail, should it
appear sufficiently broad for our purpose. On approaching this spot, we found
the passage about three hundred yards wide between the land and the ice •
and as there was no time either for deliberation or for sounding the channel,
all the studding-sails were instantly set in both ships, and we pushed through
the opening at the distance of a hundred yards from the beach, having no less
than ten fathoms' water.
90 VOYAGE FOR, THE DISCOVERY
1819. It was impossible not to consider ourselves fortunate in having escaped the
^,^4^ danger which had lately threatened the ships ; but another difficulty now pre-
sented itself which we had not anticipated. This was occasioned by finding
nearly the whole surface of that part of the sea, which at a distance had ap-
peared to us open, covered with a coating of young ice of sufficient thickness
to offer a considerable impediment to the ships, when sailing with a strong and
favourable breeze. To give some idea of the degree of obstruction occa-
sioned by this ice, whose thickness did not generally exceed half an inch, it
may be sufficient to state, that with such a quantity of sail as would certainly
have propelled the Hecla six miles and a half an hour, if unimpeded in this
way, she did not average more than four miles. This remark must be under-
stood to apply to ice of this kind, when of a single thickness, and in the
state in which it is naturally formed upon the surface. But, whenever, by
any pressure on either side, the sheet is broken, and the edges of one part
forced under those of another, causing them to overlay each other, the whole
thickness of the ice is of course augmented, and the impediment to a ship
becomes greater in proportion to the frequency with which this occurs.
Where this has taken place, the ice, being too thick to allow the water to be
seen through it, is distinguished by the whiteness of its appearance ; the
white ice, therefore, is to be avoided in sailing, as much as possible.
It was my intention, as usual with us of late, to sail along the shore till
we came to any land-ice calculated to afford shelter to the ships during the
night. As we ran along, however, it was soon perceived that the main body
of the ice was very rapidly approaching the shore, at the same time that the
westerly current was still carrying in that direction ; the ships were imme-
diately hauled in-shore, to find the best security against it which circum-
stances would admit, but the bay-ice had in this place become so thickened
by the continued pressure of the floes upon it from without, that the ships
were shortly arrested in their progress, being about one mile distant from the
land. Every expedient to break the ice, usual in such cases, was resorted
to, without our being able to move the ships a single foot a-head. The floe
continued rapidly closing on the shore, forcing the ships in before it, and bring-
ing with it so much of the bay-ice, that it was needless any longer to
employ the people in attempting to break it: to anchor seemed now the
only mode Ave had left to avoid being driven on shore, or, what was much
more to be apprehended, being forced by the floes against the heavy ice
on the beach. We waited, therefore, till at seven P.M. we had shoaled
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 91
the water gradually from twenty-nine to nine fathoms, and then dropped the
bower-anchor. When the ship swung in-shore by the continued pressure of
the ice, we had still seven fathoms under the stern, our distance from the
beach being about forty yards. We now seemed to have got rather within
the drift of the main body of ice, which passed us to the westward at the
rate of two miles an hour ; but, at length, the point of a large field, which
had hitherto not approached the shore nearer than two or three hundred
yards, was observed to be rapidly nearing us. Immediately to the westward
of the spot where the Hecla's anchor had been dropped, some very heavy ice,
which, for distinction's sake, we called a berg, projected from the beach to
the distance of a hundred and fifty yards. The ships had fortunately been
forced by the ice, one on each side of this projecting point ; for at eight P.M.
the field came in contact with it with a tremendous crash, piling up the
enormous fragments of ice in the most awful and terrific manner ; this
seemed to break, in some degree the force with which the ice had been
driving ; a force which may almost be considered incalculable, as we could
not see over the field in motion from our mast-head. We were at this
time within a hundred yards of the point, and had, therefore, great reason
to be thankful for having escaped being carried into a situation in which
no human power or skill could have saved the ships from instant de-
struction.
As the pressure of the bay-ice around the ship continued to increase, she
was carried gradually in towards the shore, and as nothing was now to be
expected but her being driven on the beach, I ordered the rudder to be
lifted, the sails to be furled, and the top-gallant yards to be ready for
striking. At half-past eight P.M., the Hecla had tailed into three fathoms
and a half, about fifteen yards from the beach. The quantity of bay-ice
which was squeezed up between the ship and the shore had by this time be-
come so great, that it would easily bear the boats and the men, the former of
which were hauled over the ice to enable us to hoist them up. It seemed
also to serve the useful purpose of a fender to keep the ship off the ground,
which she did not appear to touch in any part.
In the meantime, the Griper had been carried into a situation nearly
similar to ours, on the opposite side of the berg, by which she was partly
hidden from our view. We observed her heel over very much at times, but
knowing that a very trifling pressure was with her sufficient to produce this
effect, little apprehension was entertained on that account, I subsequently
. 92 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1819. learned from Lieutenant Liddon, that when the field of ice closed upon us,
\^-Y->L' a point of it had caught the Griper's chain-cable, by which the anchor
was immediately started, and the vessel carried towards the shore. The
cable was dragged out so swiftly, that it could not be slipped, and, in a few
minutes, the space between the two hawse-holes was completely cut through.
The cable parted soon after, and the other anchor being let go, brought
the ship up in time to prevent her going on shore. The Griper also lost
one of her boats on this occasion, but was fortunate in sustaining no ma-
terial injury.
At nine P.M., the ice moved a few hundred yards off the land, and the
opportunity was taken to heave the Hecla into a little nook, formed by the
grounded ice, where we lay without disturbance during the night. The
officers and men were much fatigued by this day's exertions, and I directed
the main brace to be spliced, and an extra-allowance of preserved meat to
be served.
Sun. 19. At day-light, on the 19th, the field-ice had drifted about a mile from the
land, the intermediate space being almost entirely occupied by innumerable
loose fragments cemented together by bay-ice, so as to form one connected
and impenetrable body. The weather was nearly calm with continued snow,
and the ice remained tolerably quiet during the day.
Moil. 20. Early on the morning of the 20th, the breeze freshened up from the
N.N.E., and soon after four A.M., the ice began to open out from the
shore. It did not, however, take a direction immediately off the land,
though the wind was nearly so, for there was still a current Avhich carried the
floes to the westward; and some of the projecting points came very near the
land. Some of these missed the Hecla by about a hundred yards ; but at
half-past eight, one of them was observed to be moving directly into the bight
where the Griper was lying. In a few minutes after this, we perceived her to
heel so much, that no doubt could be entertained of her having been forced on
shore by the ice. Having sent Mr. Palmer round by land to inquire what
was her situation, I was informed that she was aground on the beach, having
only seven feet water on the inside, and the ice still continuing to press
upon her from without. I therefore consulted my officers as to the measures
it would, under these circumstances, be most prudent to adopt, and des-
patched Lieutenant Beechey round to the Griper, to explain my intentions to
Lieutenant Liddon. I proposed, if the Griper required lightening con-
siderably before she could be hove off, an operation which, in her present
~^4
^
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 93
situation, it would require some time to perform, to get the Hecla, as quickly
as possible, into the tirst place of security we could find, and then to march
all hands round to the Griper, for the purpose of getting her afloat.
Shortly after our leaving England, Lieutenant Liddon had been unfor-
tunately attacked with a severe rheumatic complaint, Avhich confined him to
his cabin during our passage across the Atlantic, but of which he so far re-
covered, soon after our making the ice in June, as to be able constantly to
attend to his duty on deck during the rest of the summer. The harassing cir-
cumstances, however, which had attended our exertions for the last fortnight,
and the sensible change which had lately taken place in the temperature of
the atmosphere, had combined to produce a serious alteration for the worse ;
so that at the time of the Griper's being driven on shore, he was again
reduced to a very debilitated state. On this account I proposed to him to
allow himself to be removed on board the Hecla, until the Griper should be
got afloat again. To this proposal, however, he would by no means listen,
assuring me, that he should be the last man, instead of the first, to leave
the Griper ; and he remained seated against the lee side of the deck during
the greater part of the day, giving the necessary orders.
The wind continuing strong from the northward, the ice left the shore
very rapidly in the afternoon, so that, by one P.M., there was once more a
little clear water about the ships. Before Lieutenant Beechey left the Griper,
they had been enabled to get the hand-lead down on the sea-side of the vessel,
where they found between fifteen and sixteen feet water ; and, as the tide
was now rising, we began to entertain great hopes of her coming off the
shore without difficulty or damage. Soon after noon we perceived that
she had righted considerably, and at two P.M., we were informed by tele-
graph that she was afloat. A party of our hands was sent on board to assist
in making her snug, that she might be ready for moving whenever the ice
would permit. The wind blew hard from the northward during the night,
with a good deal of snow ; and the thermometer was at 10|° at midnight.
The Aurora Borealis was seen faintly in the S.S.W. quarter of the
heavens.
The advanced period of the season, the unpromising appearance of the
ice to the westward, and the risk to the ships with which the navigation
had been attended for some days past, naturally led me to the conclusion
that, under these circumstances, the time had arrived, when it became ab-
solutely necessary to look out for winter-quarters. Among the circumstances
M VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1819. which now rendered this navigation more than usually perilous, and the
<,,J^ hope of success proportionally less, there was none which gave more rea-
sonable ground for apprehension than the incredible rapidity with which the
young ice formed upon the surface of the sea, during the greater part of the
twenty-four hours. It had become evident, indeed, that it could only be
attributed to the strong winds which had lately prevailed, that the sea was
not at this time permanently frozen over ; for, whenever the wind blew less
than a gale, that formation took place immediately, and went on with such
astonishing rapidity, that had the weather continued calm for more than four-
and-twenty hours together, it seemed to me extremely probable, that we
must have passed the winter in our present exposed and insecure situation.
From this and various other considerations, which the account of our late
proceedings will naturally suggest, I considered it a duty incumbent upon
me to call for the opinions of the senior* officers of the expedition, as to the
expediency of immediately seeking a harbour, in which the ships might
securely lie during the ensuing winter. The opinions of the officers en-
tirely concurring with my own, as to the propriety of immediately resorting
to this measure, I determined, whenever the ice and the weather would allow,
to run back to the Bay of the Hecla and Griper, in which neighbourhood alone
we had any reason to believe that a suitable harbour might be found.
Tues.21. It blew a hard gale from the northward during the night, by which means
the floes were kept at a distance from the land, and by the bay-ice prevented
from forming under the lee of it. The sea to the eastward was not, however,
sufficiently clear, nor the wind moderate enough during the 21st, to allow us
to move the ships. The land was now almost entirely covered with snow,
and, as we afterwards found, remained so during the winter. A few coveys
of the ptarmigan were seen near the beach during the time that we remained
at this station.
Wed. 22. At half-past two, on the morning of the 22d, the night-signal was made to
weigh, and we began to heave, at our cables ; but such was the difficulty of
raising our anchor, and of hauling in our hawsers, owing to the stiffiiess of
the ropes from frost, and thie quantity of ice which had accumulated about
them, that it was five o'clock before the ships were under way. Our rudder
also was so choked by the ice which had formed about it, that it could not
hv moved till a boat had been hauled under the stern, and the ice beaten
and cut a,way from it. We ran along to the eastward without any obstruc-
tion, in a channel about five miles wide, till we were within four or
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 95
five miles of Cape Hearne, where the bay-ice, in unbroken sheets of about
one-third of an inch iu thickness, began to offer considerable impediment to
our progress. We were abreast of the point at noon, and here our prospect
was rather discouraging ; the anchorage in the bay was quite free from any
obstruction, but a space of three or four miles to the north-eastward of Cape
Hearne, was completely covered with bay-ice, which made it more than pro-
bable that we should altogether be excluded from the roadstead. We entered
this ice under a press of sail, the wind blowing strong from the northward,
and found it to consist principally of that kind which, from its appearance,
is technically called " pancake-icfe," and which, though it considerably re-
tarded our progress in beating to windward, did not offer so serious an im-
pediment as we had expected. At half-past two P.M., in swinging the
main-topsail-yard in stays, it was unfortunately carried away in the slings,
but this accident was quickly repaired by the zealous exertions of the
officers and men. As I saw that the Griper, which had dropped several
miles astern in the course of the day, could not possibly reach the anchorage
before dark, and being apprehensive that by a too anxious endeavour to
effect that object, she might become frozen up at sea during the night, I
made Lieutenant Liddon's signal to secure his ship to the grounded ice off
Cape Hearne, which he accordingly did. Soon after the sun had set, I had
reason to entertain the same apprehension for the Hecla ; for the young ice
began, as usual, to form upon the surface of the water, and in an hour's
time offered so considerable a resistance to the ship's motion, though under a
press of canvass, and with a fresh breeze, as to make it doubtful for some
time whether we should reach the anchorage. We at length, however,
struck soundings with twenty-nine fathoms of line, and at eight P.M. anchored
in nine fathoms, on a muddy bottom, a little to the eastward of our situation
on the 5th.
The wind continued northerly, with a heavy fall of snow during the night. Thur.23.
At half-past six A.M. on the 23d, there being fortunately so little bay-ice
that a boat could easily pull through it, I left the ship, accompanied by
Mr. Nias, to examine Fife's harbour, which had been reported to me as
affording good shelter, but having a bar across its entrance, I directed
Lieutenant Beechey at the same time to get the Hecla under way, and to
anchor wherever I should lay down a buoy for that purpose. My mortification
may well be imagined at finding, on my arrival off Fife's harbour, that it was
covered with one solid sheet of ice from six to twelve inches in thickness.
96 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
which had been entirely formed since our last visit to this place. I landed
on the west side of the harbour, and being soon after joined by a boat from
the Griper, which vessel was beating up from Cape Hearne, I was informed
by Mr. Slcene, that a second bay or harbour had been seen by the officers
on the former occasion, a short distance to the Avestward of this. We lost no
time, therefore, in rowing there, having first laid down a buoy, near which
the Hecla was to anchor, and made the necessary signal to Lieutenant
Beechey.
In going to the westward, we passed a shoal and open bay, immediately
adjacent to the harbour which we were now about to examine, and soon after
came to a reef of rocks, in some parts nearly dry, extending about three-
quarters of a mile to the southward of a low point on the south-eastern side
of the harbour. On rounding the reef, on which a quantity of heavy ice
was lying aground, we found that a continuous floe, four or five inches in
thickness, was formed over the whole harbour, which in every other respect,
appeared to be fit for our purpose ; and that it would be necessary to cut a
canal of two miles in length through the ice, in order to get the ships into a
secure situation for the winter. We sounded the channel into the harbour
for about three-quarters of a mile, by making holes in the ice and dropping
the lead through, and found the depth from five to six fathoms.
Having ascertained thus far, it remained for me to sound the bar of Fife's
harbour, and then to choose between the two places. I returned on board,
therefore, for the boats' crews to dine, and then proceeded in execution of
this object. The entrance into Fife's harbour is extremely narrow, which
enabled us the sooner to determine the utter impracticability of getting the
ships into it, as we found the depth on the bar to be barely twelve feet at
high water and a spring tide. I returned on board, therefore, and deter-
mined on taking the ships round the reef to the entrance of the westernmost
harbour, on the following morning. A good deal of snow fell this evening,
and the young ice formed on the surface after sun-set.
Frid.24. The ships weighed at six A.M. on the 24th, the wind being still at north,
and the weather moderate and fine. As soon as the Hecla was under sail, I
went a-head in a boat to sound, and to select an anchorage for the ships.
In running to the westward towards the point of the reef, we had no less
than three fathoms and three quarters ; and, by keeping farther off shore, we
might have had much deeper water, but the wind being scant, it was neces-
sary to keep well to the northward. Near the south-western point of this
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 97
harbour there is a remarkable block of sandstone, somewhat resembling the
roof of a house, on which the ships' names were subsequently engraved by
Mr. Fisher. This stone is very conspicuous in coming from the eastward,
and when kept open to the southward of the grounded ice at the end of the
reef, forms a good leading mark for the channel into the harbour. Off the
end of the reef the water deepened to six fathoms, and the Hecla's anchor
was dropped in eight fathoms, half a mile within the reef, and close to the
edge of the ice through which the canal was to be cut. The Griper arrived
soon after, and by half-past eight A.M. both ships were secured in the proper
position for commencing the intended operations.
As soon as our people had breakfasted I proceeded, with a small party of
men, to sound, and to mark with boarding-pikes upon the ice, the most direct
channel we could find to the anchorage ; having left directions for every other
officer and man in both ships to be employed in cutting the canal. This opera-
tion was performed by first marking out two parallel lines, distant from each
other a little more than the breadth of the larger ship. Along each of these
lines a cut was then made with an ice-saw, and others again at right angles to
them, at intervals of from ten to twenty feet ; thus dividing the ice into a
number of rectangular pieces, which it was again necessary to subdivide dia-
gonally, in order to give room for their being floated out of the canal. On
returning from the upper part of the harbour, where I had marked out what
appeared to be the best situation for our winter-quarters, I found that consi-
derable progress had been made in cutting the canal, and in floating the pieces
out of it. To facilitate the latter part of the process, the seamen, who are
always fond of doing things in their own way, took advantage of a fresh
northerly breeze, by setting some boats' sails upon the pieces of ice, a con-
trivance which saved both time and labour. This part of the operation,
however, was by far the most troublesome, principally on account of the
quantity of young ice which formed in the canal, and especially about the
entrance, where, before sun-set, it had become so thick that a passage could
no longer be found for the detached pieces, without considerable trouble in
breaking it. At half past seven P.M. we weighed our anchors, and began to
warp up the canal, but the northerly wind blew so fresh, and the people were
so much fatigued, having been almost constantly at work for nineteen hours,
that it was midnight before we reached the termination of our first day's labour.
While we were thus employed, about nine o'clock a vivid flash of light was
observed, exactly like lightning. There was at the same time, and during the
o
98 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
greater part of the night, a permanent brightness in the northern quarter of
the heavens, which was probably occasioned by the Aurora Borealis. I di-
rected half a pound of fresh meat per man to be issued, as an extra allowance ;
and this was continued daily till the completion of our present undertaking.
Sat. 25. All hands were again set to work on the morning of the 25th, when it was
proposed to sink the pieces of ice, as they were cut, under the floe, instead of
floating them out, the latter mode having now become impracticable on ac-
count of the lower part of the canal, through which the ships had passed,
being hard frozen during the night. To eflfect this, it was necessary for a
certain number of men to stand upon one end of the piece of ice which it was
intended to sink, while other parties, hauling at the same time upon ropes
attached to the opposite end, dragged the block under that part of the floe
on which the people stood. The officers of both ships took the lead in this
employ, several of them standing up to their knees in water frequently during
the day, with the thermometer generally at 12°, and never higher than 16°. At
six P.M. we began to move the ships. The Griper was made fast astern of the
Hecla, and the two ships' companies being divided on each bank of the canal,
with ropes from the Hecla's gangways, soon drew the ships along to the end
of our second day's work.
Sun. 26. I should, on every account, have been glad to make this a day of rest to the
officers and men ; but the rapidity with which the ice increased in thickness,
in proportion as the general temperature of the atmosphere diminished, would
have rendered a day's delay of serious importance. I ordered the work, there-
fore, to be continued at the usual time in the morning ; and such was the
spirited and cheerful manner in which this order was complied with, as well
as the skill which had now been acquired in the art of sawing and sinking
the ice, that, although the thermometer was at 6° in the morning, and rose
no higher than 9° during the day, we had completed the canal at noon, having
effected more in four hours than on either of the two preceding days. The
whole length of this canal was four thousand and eighty-two yards, or nearly
two miles and one-third, and the average thickness of the ice was seven inches.
At half-past one P.M. we began to track the ships along in the same manner
as before, and at a quarter past three we reached our winter-quarters, and
hailed the event with three loud and hearty cheers from both ships' companies.
The ships were in five fathoms' water, a cable's length from the beach on the
north western side of the harbour, to which I gave the name of Winter Hae-
BouR ; and I called the group of islands which we had discovered in the
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 99
Polar Sea New Georgia ; but having afterwards recollected that this name is 1819.
already occupied in another part of the world, I deemed it expedient to change ^^
it to that of the North Georgian Islands, in honour of our gracious So-
vereign, George the Third, whose whole reign had been so eminently dis-
tinguished by the extension and improvement of geographical and nautical
knowledge, and for the prosecution of new and important discoveries in both.
ABSTRACT of the METEOROLOGICAL JOURNAL kept on board His Majesty's Ship Hecla,
during the Month of September,
1819.
Temperature of Air
in siiade.
III
Barometer,
Prevailing Winds.
Prevailing Weather.
Day
Maxi-
Mini-
mam.
Mean.
Maxi-
Mini.
Mean.
+
+
+
+
inclies.
inches.
inches.
1
o
36
31.5
33.00
31.8
29.99
29.63
29.77 5
N.W.
Light breezes and hazy, with small snow.
2
36
31
32.79
31.4
30.31
30.05
30.212
S.W.bW.
Light airs and cloudy.
3
37
31
34.17
32.5
30.42
30.31
30.377
N.W.
Light airs and fine.
4
35
28
31.83
31.9
30.37
30.31
30.340
N.W.bN.
Moderate breezes and cloudy.
5
32
28.5
30.58
31.8
30.31
30.21
30.245
N.N.E.
Fresh breezes and cloudy, with snow.
6
30
25
27.96
30.2
30.18
30.14
30.155
North.
Fresh breezes and cloudy.
7
30
25
28.42
29.8
30.12
30.10
30.110
N.N.E.
Moderate breezes and cloudy.
8
31
28
30.00
30.0
30.09
30.07
30.085
C A.M. N.E. I
I P.M. S.W. 5
Light breezes and hazy.
9
32
29
30.67
30.5
30.11
30.04
30.072
S.W.
Light breezes and cloudy.
10
32
30
31.00
30.9
30.10
30.01
30.075
Round the Compass.
Light airs and hazy, with snow.
11
30
26
27.75
30.2
29.95
29.86
29.892
N.E.
Light breezes and cloudy, with snow.
12
30
28.5
29.50
30.2
29.80
29.73
29.769
S.W.
Fresh breezes and hazy, with snow.
13
29
15.5
26.08
29.2
29.62
29.41
29.537
W.S.W.
Freshbreezes and cloudy, with small snow.
14
17
9
13.79
28.3
29.77
29.57
29.710
WN.
Strong gales and squally.
15
21.5
16
18.92
28.8
29.80
29.72
29.762
N.W.bW.
Fresh breezes and clear.
16
24
17
21.25
29.5
29.70
29.57
29.644
W.N.W.
Strong breezes,— squalls at times
17
22
16.5
19.75
29.2
30.07
29.72
29.890
W.N.W.
Fresh breezes and squally.
18
29
20
23.67
29.0
30.00
29.90
29.950
N.N.W.toS.W.b.W.
Light variable breezes and cloudy.
19
25
19
29.83
29.0
29.75
29.47
29.617
S.W.
Light breezes and cloudy, with spow.
20
21
10.5
17.25
29.46
29.36
29.412
N.N.E.
Strong breezes and hazy.
21
19.5
10
15.83
29.60
29.43
29.510
North.
Strong gales and cloudy. . ,, ;
22
23
17
19.67
29.62
29.54
29.580
N.bW.
Strong breezes and squally. i , J?
23
23
20
•22.08
29.S0
29.66
29.742
North.
Fresh breezes and cloudy, with snow.
24
24
9
20.25
30.04
29.80
29.935.
N.N.AV.
Moderate and cloudy, snow at times.
25
17
7
13.58
30.14
30.04
30.100
North.
Moderate breezes and cloudy.
26
8
-1
5.00
30.19
30.17
30.175
N.N.W.
Moderate breezes and fine.
27
21
+ 5
15.00
30.14
30.04
30.092
c A.M. N.N.W. ?
} P.M.N.N.E. ]
Moderate breezes and hazy.
28
23
10
17.33
29.98
29.88
29.925
N.N.E.
Fresh breezes and hazy.
29
14
8
11.25
29.82
29.76
29.787
North.
Fresh breezes and cloudy.
30
7
4
5.92
29.3
29.87
29.70
29.788
North.
Strong breezes, with snow at times.
^-37
-1
+ 22.54
30.42
29.36
29.905
VOYAGE OF DISCOVEEY: 101
CHAPTER V.
PRECAUTIONS FOR SECURING THE SHIPS AND STORES FOR PROMOTING
GOOD ORDER, CLEANLINESS, HEALTH, AND GOOD-HUMOUR, AMONG THE
ships' COMPANIES ESTABLISHMENT OF A THEATRE, AND OF THE
NORTH GEORGIA GAZETTE ERECTION OF AN OBSERVATORY ON SHORE
COMMENCE OUR WINTEr's AMUSEMENTS — STATE OF THE TEMPERATURE
AND VARIOUS METEOROLOGICAL PHENOMENA — MISCELLANEOUS OCCUR-
RENCES TO THE CLOSE OF THE YEAR 1819.
XTAVING now reached the station, where, in all probability, we were 1819.
destined to remain for at least eight or nine months, during three of which ^^^^1^"
we were not to see the face of the sun, my attention was immediately, and
imperiously, called to various important duties ; many of them of a singular
nature, such as had, for the first time, devolved on any officer in His Majesty's
navy, and might indeed be considered of rare occurrence in the whole history
of navigation. The security of the ships, and the preservation of the various
stores, were objects of immediate concern. A regular system to be adopted
for the maintenance of good order and cleanliness, as most conducive to
the health of the crews during the long, dark, and dreary winter, equally
demanded my attention.
Not a moment was lost, therefore, in the commencement of our operations.
The whole of the masts were dismantled except the lower ones, and the
Hecla's main-top-mast, the latter being kept fidded for the purpose of occa-
sionally hoisting up the electrometer-chain, to try the effect of atmospherical
electricity. The lower yards were lashed fore and aft amidships, at a suffi-
cient height to support the planks of the housing intended to be erected over
the ships, the lower ends of which rested on the gunwale ; and the whole
of this frame-work was afterwards roofed over with a cloth, composed of
103 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1819. wadding-tilt, with which waggons are usually covered ; and thus was formed
>,^,^-^' a comfortable shelter from the snow and wind. The boats, spars, running
rigging, and sails, were removed on shore, in order to give as much room as
possible on our upper deck, to enable the people to take exercise on board,
whenever the weather should be too inclement for walking on shore. It was
absolutely necessary, also, for the preservation of our sails and ropes all of
which were hard-frozen, that they should be kept in that state till the return
of spring; for, as it was now impossible to get them dried, owing to
the constantly low temperature of the atmosphere, they would, probably,
have soon rotted had they been kept in any part of the ships, where the
warmth would occasion them to thaw ; they were, therefore, placed with the
boats on shore, and a covering of canvass fixed over them. This covering,
however, as we afterwards found, might better have been dispensed with ;
for as we had not the means of constructing a roof sufficiently tight to keep
out the fine snow which fell during the winter, it only served, by the eddy
wind which it created, to make the drift about it greater; and, I have
now no doubt that, with stores in the state in which I have described our
sails to be, it would be better simply to lay them on some spars to keep
them off the ground, allowing the snow to cover them as it fell. For want of
experience in these matters, we also took a great deal of unnecessary trouble
in carrying the anchors over the ice to the beach, with an idea of securing
the ships to the shore at the breaking up of the ice in the spring ; a precau-
tion for which there was not the smallest occasion, and by which the cables
suflfered unnecessary exposure during the winter.
As soon as the ships were secured and housed over, my undivided attention
was in the next place directed to the comfort of the officers and men, and to
the preservation of that extraordinary degree of health which we had hitherto
enjoyed in both ships. A few brief remarks on this subject by Mr. Edwards,
(to whose skill and advice, as well as humane and unremitting attention
to the few sick, on all occasions, I am much indebted,) I need make no
apology for offering, in his own words : — " On our arrival in our winter quar-
ters, after a season sufficiently harassing both to officers, and men, it was
pleasing to reflect on the excellent health they had experienced throughout.
On our passage across the Atlantic, indeed, a few ephemeral complaints,
arising from wet and cold, appeared among the men, but these were so
slight as to be scarcely worthy of notice ; and, since our arrival within the
Polar circle, a period of between two and three months, not a single medical
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 103
case had been entered on the sick list. To this favourable account, 18 19-
one exception, however, must be made in the case of Lieutenant
Liddon, who had suffered severely from an attack of rheumatism shortly
after our leaving England, from which he had not yet recovered.
With regard to accidents, we had been no less fortunate ; a few injuries from
frost, and one from a burn by gunpowder, which had not yet recovered,
but which proved only of temporary inconvenience, constituting all the cases
of this nature which had hitherto occurred. Not the slightest disposition to
scurvy, the disease most to be apprehended under our present circumstances,
had yet been evinced in either ship. In fact, the whole of the officers and
men, with the few exceptions above mentioned, might be said to exhibit
the finest aspect of health ; and it was no less gratifying to observe, that
their spirits were in perfect unison with their corporeal powers ; so that it
was impossible not to consider them as effective as at the commencement of
the voyage. Under these co-existing circumstances, combined with the
powerful preventives with which we were furnished, it was not unreasonable
to indulge in a confident hope of finding ourselves at the beginning of the
next season with our numbers undiminished, and our energies unim-
paired."
In order to prolong this healthy state of the crews, and to promote the
comfort of all, such arrangements were made for the warmth and dryness
of the births and bed-places, as circumstances appeared to require ; and
in this respect some difficulties were to be overcome, which could not,
perhaps, have been anticipated. Soon after our arrival in Winter Harbour,
when the temperature of the atmosphere had fallen considerably below
zero of Fahrenheit, we found that the steam from the coppers, as well as
the breath and other vapour generated in the inhabited parts of the ship,
began to condense into drops upon the beams and the sides, to such a
degree as to keep them constantly wet. In order to remove this serious
evil, it was necessary to adopt such means for producing a sufficient warmth,
combined with due ventilation, as might carry off the vapour, and thus
prevent its settling on any part of the ship. For this purpose a large stone
oven, cased with cast iron, in which all our bread was baked during the
winter was placed on the main-hatchway, and the stove-pipe led fore and
aft on one side of the lower deck, the smoke being thus carried up the
fore-hatchway. On the opposite side of the deck, an apparatus had been at-
tached to the galley-range, for conveying a current of heated air between
104 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1819. decks. This apparatus simply consisted of an iron box or air-vessel about
v^^-^' fifteen inches square, through which passed three pipes, of two inches
diameter, communicating from below with the external air, and uniting
above in a metal box fixed to the side of the galley-range ; to this box a
copper stove pipe was attached, and conveyed to the middle part of the lower
deck. When a fire was made under the air-vessel, the air became heated in
its passage through the three pipes, from which it was conveyed through
the stove-pipe to the men's births. While this apparatus was in good orderjc*
a moderate fire produced a current of air of the temperature of 87°, at the
distance of seventeen feet from the fire-place ; and, with a pipe of wood, or
any other imperfect conductor of heat, which would not allow of its escaping
by the way, it might undoubtedly be carried to a much greater distance.
By these means we were enabled to get rid of the moisture about the births
where the people messed ; but when the weather became more severely cold,
it still accumulated in the bed-places occasionally to a serious and very alarm-
ing degree. Among the means employed to prevent the injurious effects
arising from this annoyance, one of the most efficacious perhaps was a
screen made of fear-nought fixed to the beams round the galley, and dropping
within eighteen inches of the deck, which served to intercept the steam from
the coppers, and prevent it as before from curling along the beams, and con-
densing upon them into drops. This screen was especially useful at the time
of drawing off" the beer, which we had lately been in the habit of brewing
from essence of malt and hops, and which continued to be served for several
weeks as a substitute for part of the usual allowance of spirits. We found
the steam arising from this process so annoying during the cold weather,
that, valuable as the beer must be considered as an antiscorbutic beverage,
it was deemed advisable to discontinue our brewery on that account. While
on this subject, I may also add that, when the weather became severely
cold, we could not get the beer to ferment, so as to make it palatable.
For the preservation of health, and as a necessary measure of economy,
a few alterations were made in the quantity and quality of the provisions
issued. I directed the allowance of bread to be permanently reduced to
two-thirds, a precaution which, perhaps, it would have been as well to have
adopted from the commencement of the voyage. A pound of Donkin's pre-
served meat, together with one pint of vegetable or concentrated soup per
man, was substituted for one pound of salt beef weekly; a proportion of
beer and wine was served in lieu of spirits ; and a small quantity of sour
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 105
krout and pickles, with as much vinegar as could be used, was issued at 1819.
regular intervals. The daily proportion of lime-juice and sugar was mixed \J,°^
together, and, with a proper quantity of water, Avas drank by each man in
presence of an officer appointed to attend to this duty. This latter pre-
caution may appear to have been unnecessary, to those who are not aware
how much sailors resemble children in all those points in which their own
health and comfort are concerned. Whenever any game was procured, it
was directed to be invariably served in lieu of, and not in addition to,
the established allowance of other meat, except in a few extraordinary
cases, when such an indulgence was allowed; and in no one instance,
either in quantity or quality, was the slightest preference given to the
officers.
In the article of fuel, which is of such vital importance in so severe a
climate, a system of the most rigid economy was adopted ; such a quantity of
coal only being expended as was barely sufficient for the preservation of
health on board the ships. A search was made for turf or moss immediately
after our arrival, and a small quantity of the latter was made use of as
fuel ; but, without a previous drying, which, from the advanced period of the
season, we had no means of giving it, it was found to be too wet to produce
any ^saving of coals. We also looked out most anxiously for a vein of coal
on shore, but only a few lumps were picked up during our stay in Winter
Harbour.
Great attention was paid to the clothing of the men, who were put into a
certain number of divisions, according to the usual custom of the navy, each
division being under the command of an officer, who was responsible for the
personal cleanliness of the men intrusted to his charge, as well as for their
keeping their clothes at all times mended and in good condition. The men
were regularly mustered for inspection morning and evening, at which times
I always visited every part of the between-decks, accompanied by Lieut.
Beechey and Mr. Edwards ; and one day in the week was appointed for the
examination of the men's shins and gums by the medical gentlemen, in order
that any slight appearance of the scurvy might at once be detected, and
checked by timely and adequate means.
It was my intention to have caused the bedding of the ships' coh^panies to
be brought on deck, for the purpose of airing, at least once a week durino- the
winter ; but here, also, a difficulty occurred, which, without previous ex-
perience, could not perhaps have been easily anticipated. Whenever a
106 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1819. blanket was brought on deck, and suffered to remain there for a short time,
^° ^^' it of course acquired the temperature of the atmosphere. When this hap-
pened to be rather low, under zero of Fahrenheit for instance, the im-
mediate consequence, on taking the blanket again into the inhabited
parts of the ship was, that the vapour settled and condensed upon it,
rendering it almost instantly so wet, as to be unfit to sleep on, and requiring,
therefore, after all, that it should be dried by artificial heat before it could
be returned into the bed-place. W^e were, therefore, under the necessity
of hanging the bedding upon lines between decks, as the only mode of
airing it; and what was likely to prove still more prejudicial, we were
obliged to have recourse to the same unhealthy measure in drying the washed
clothes.
Under circumstances of leisure and inactivity, such as we were now placed
in, and with every prospect of its continuance for a very large portion of a
year, I was desirous of finding some amusement for the men during this
long and tedious interval. I proposed, therefore, to the officers to get up a
Play occasionally on board the Hecla, as the readiest means of preserving
among our crews that cheerfulness and good-humour which had hitherto
subsisted. In this proposal I was readily seconded by the officers of
both ships ; and Lieutenant Beechey having been duly elected as stage-
manager, our first performance was fixed for the 5th of November, to the
great delight of the ship's companies. In these amusements I gladly under-
took a part myself, considering that an example of cheerfulness, by giving a
direct countenance to every thing that could contribute to it, was not the least
essential part of my duty, under the peculiar circumstances in which we were
placed.
In order still further to promote good-humour among ourselves, as well as
to furnish aniusing occupation, during the hours of constant darkness, we set
on foot a weekly newspaper, which was to be called the North Georgia
Gazette and Winter Chronicle, and of which Captain Sabine undertook to be the
editor, under the promise that it was to be supported by original contributions
from the officers of the two ships : aad, though some objection may, perhaps,
be raised against a paper of this kind being generally resorted to in ships of
war, I was too well acquainted with the discretion, as well as the excellent
dispositions of my officers, to apprehend any unpleasant consequences from a
measure of this kind ; instead of which I can safely say, that the weekly con-
tributions had the happy effect of employing the leisure hours of those who
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 107
furnished them, and of diverting the mind from the gloomy prospect which 1819.
would sometimes obtrude itself on the stoutest heart. October.
Immediately on our arrival in harbour, Captain Sabine had employed
himself in selecting a place for the observatory, which was erected in a con-
venient spot, about seven hundred yards to the westward of the ships. It
was also considered advisable immediately to set about building a house
near the beach, for the reception of the clocks and instruments. For this
purpose we made use of a quantity of fir-plank, which was intended for the
construction of spare boats, and which was so cut as not to injure it for that
purpose. The ground was so hard frozen that it required great labour to
dig holes for the upright posts which formed the support of the sides. The
walls of this house being double, with moss placed between the two, a high
temperature could, even in the severest weather which we might be doomed
to experience, be kept up in it without difficulty by a single stove.
Among the many fortunate circumstances which had attended us during
this first season of our navigation, there was none more striking than the
opportune time at which the ships were securely placed in harbour ; for on
the very night of our arrival, the 26th of September, the thermometer fell
to — 1° ; and, on the following day, the sea was observed from the hills
to be quite frozen over, as far as the eye could reach ; nor was any open
water seen after this period. During the first three weeks in October, how-
ever, we remarked that the young ice, near the mouth of the harbour, was
occasionally squeezed up very much by the larger floes, so that the latter
must still have had some space left, in which to acquire motion : but after
that time the sea was entirely covered with one uniform surface of solid and
motionless ice.
After our arrival in port, we saw several rein-deer, and a few coveys of
grouse ; but the country is so destitute of every thing like cover of any kind,
that our sportsmen were not successful in their hunting excursions, and we
procured only three rein-deer, previously to the migration of these and the
other animals from the island, which took place before the close of the month
of October, leaving only the wolves and foxes to bear us company during
the winter. The full-grown deer, which we killed in the autumn, gave us
from one hundred and twenty to one hundred and seventy pounds of meat
each, and a fawn weighed eighty-four pounds.
On the 1st of October, Captain Sabine's servant having been at some dis-
tance from the ships, to examine a fox-trap, was pursued by a large white
108 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
bear, which followed his footsteps the whole way to the ships, where he was
wounded by several balls, but made his escape after all. This bear, which
was the only one we saw during our stay in Winter Harbour, was observed
to be more purely white than any we had before seen, the colour of these
animals being generally that of a dirtyish yellow, when contrasted with the
whiteness of the ice and snow.
On the night of the 4th, we had a strong gale from the southward, which
gave us a satisfactory proof of the security of the harbour we had chosen,
for the main ice was found in the morning to have pressed in very forcibly
upon that which Avas newly formed near the entrance, while within the
two points of the harbour, it remained perfectly solid and undisturbed.
Some deer being seen near the ships on the 10th, a party was despatched
after them, some of whom having wounded a stag, and being led on by the
ardour of pursuit, forgot my order that every person should be on-board
before sun-set, and did not return till late, after we had suffered much ap-
prehension on their account. I, therefore, directed that the expense of all
rockets and other signals made in such cases, should, in future, be charged
against the wages of the offending party. John Pearson, a marine belonging to
the Griper, who was the last that returned on board, had his hands severely
frost-bitten, having imprudently gone away without mittens, and with a
musket in his hand. A party of our people most providentially found him,
although the night was very dark, just as he had fallen down a steep bank
of snow, and was beginning to feel that degree of torpor and drowsi-
ness which, if indulged, inevitably proves fatal. W^hen he was brought on
board, his fingers were quite stiff, and bent into the shape of that part of the
musket which he had been carrying : and the frost had so far destroyed the
animation in his fingers on one hand, that it was necessary to amputate three
of them a short time after, notwithstanding all the care and attention paid to
him by the medical gentlemen. The effect which exposure to severe frost
has, in benumbing the mental as well as the corporeal faculties, was very
striking in this man, as well as in two of the young gentlemen who returned
after dark, and of whom we were anxious to make inquiries respecting
Pearson. When I sent for them into my cabin, they looked wild, spoke
thick and indistinctly, and it was impossible to draw from them a rational
answer to any of our questions. After being on board for a short time, the
mental faculties appeared gradually to return with the returning circulation,
and it was not till then that a looker-on could easily persuade himself that
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 109
they had not been drinking too freely. To those who have been much ac- 1819.
customed to cold countries this will be no new remark ; but I cannot help k.^-t^'
thinking (and it is with this view that I speak of it) that many a man may have
been punished for intoxication, who was only suffering from the benumbing
effects of frost ; for I have more than once seen our people in a state so
exactly resembling that of the most stupid intoxication, that I should cer-
tainly have charged them with that offence, had I not been quite sure that
no possible means were afforded them on Melville Island, to procure
any thing stronger than snow-water. In order to guard in some measure
against the danger of persons losing their way, which was more and more to
be apprehended as the days became shorter, and the ground more covered
with snow, which gives such a dreary sameness to the country, we erected
on all the hills within two or three miles of the harbour, finger-posts pointing
towards the ships.
I have before remarked that all the water which we made use of while within
the polar circle, was procured from snow, either naturally or artificially dis-
solved. Soon after the ships were laid up for the winter, it was necessary to
have recourse entirely to the latter process, which added materially to the
expenditure of fuel during the winter months. The snow for this purpose
was dug out of the drifts, which had formed upon the ice round the ships,
and dissolved in the coppers. We found it necessary always to strain the
water thus procured, on account of the sand which the heavy snow-drifts
brought from the island, after which it was quite pure and wholesome.
On the evening of the 13th, the Aurora Borealis was seen very faintly, Wed. 13.
consisting of a stationary white light in the south-west quarter, and near the
horizon.
On the 15th, we saw the last covey of ptarmigan which were met with Frid. 15.
this season. On the same day our people fell in with a herd of fifteen deer
to the southward ; they were all lying down at first, except one large one,
probably a stag, which afterwards seemed to guard the rest in their flight,
going frequently round them, and sometimes striking them with his horns
to make them go on, which otherwise they did not seem much inclined to do.
On the 16th, it blew a strong gale from the northward, accompanied by Sat. 16,
such a constant snow-drift, that although the weather was quite clear over-
head, the boat-house, at the distance of three or four hundred yards, could
scarcely be seen from the ships. On such occasions, no person was per-
mitted on any account to leave the ships. Indeed, when this snow-drift
110 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
occurred, as it frequently did during the winter, with a hard gale, and the
thermometer very low, I believe that no human being could have remained
alive after an hour's exposure to it. In order, therefore, to secure a com-
munication between the ships, a distance not exceeding half a cable's length,
as well as from the ships to the house on shore, a line Avas kept extended,
as a guide from one to the other. About the middle of October the snow
began to fall in smaller flakes than during the summer; and soon after
this, whenever it fell, it consisted entirely of very minute spicules, assuming
various forms of crystallization. The meridian altitude of the sun was
observed this day by an artificial horizon, which I notice from the circum-
stance of its being the last time we had an opportunity of observing it for
about four months.
17 & 18. On the 17th and 18th, our hunting parties reported that the deer were
more numerous than they had been before, which made us conclude, that they
were assembling their forces for an immediate departure over the ice to the
continent of America, as we only saw one or two on the island after this
time. They had been met with, since taking up our quarters, in herds of
from eight to twenty, and from forty to fifty were seen in the course of
one day. A thermometer placed in the sun at noon, on the 18th, rose only
Tues. 19. to — 9°, the temperature in the shade being — 16°.
It had for some time past been a matter of serious consideration with me^
whether it would be necessary to cut the ice round the ships, which had
by this time become so firmly attached to the bends, that they were
completely imbedded in it. There happened to be only two or three persons
in the expedition, who had ever been frozen up during a whole winter
in any of the cold countries, and I consulted these as to the expediency of
doing so. This precaution, it would seem, is considered to be necessary,
from the possibility of a ship being hung by the ice attached to her bends,
and thus prevented from rising and falling with the tide ; in consequence
of which, a plank might easily be torn out near the water-line, by the
weight of the ship hanging entirely on that particular part. I was re-
lieved from any apprehension on this score, however, by knowing how small
the rise and fall of the tides were in this place ; and also by having observed
that a spring-tide caused the whole mass of ice in the harbour to detach
itself from the beach, along the whole line of which it split, and was
' lifted ; so that both ships and ice arose and fell in a body with the tide. The
only question, therefore, that remained, was, whether the lateral expansion
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. Ill
of the ice might not create such a pressure upon the water-line of the 1819.
ships as to do them some damage. This apprehension was rather increased v.^^^'
by Lieutenant Liddon's having reported to me, that his officers had, a
night or two before, heard a loud crack about the Griper's bends, which
gave them the idea of something straining or giving way. This noise,
however, wliich occurred very frequently afterwards, as the cold became
more intense, proved to be nothing more than that which is not unusually
heard in houses in cold countries, being occasioned by the freezing and
expansion of the juices contained in wood not thoroughly seasoned. To
put the matter out of all doubt, however, I deemed it prudent to order the
ice to be cut round both ships, an operation which occupied the" two crews
almost the whole of two days, the ice being now twenty-three inches in
thickness ; and I determined to continue this operation daily, as long as the
weather would permit.
The 20th of October was one of the finest days which, as experience has Wed. 20.
since taught us, ever occur in this climate, the weather being clear, with little
or no wind; and, though the thermometer remained steadily between — 15°
and — 16° during the day, it was rather pleasant to our feelings than otherwise.
Our sportsmen were out from both ships the whole day, and returned, for
the first time, without having seen any living animal, though they had
walked over a very considerable extent of ground ; so that the hope we had
indulged of obtaining, occasionally, a fresh meal, was now nearly at an end
for the rest of the winter. It was observed from the hills, that the ice in
the offing had been thrown into higher hummocks than before ; and in the
morning we saw a number of little vertical streams of vapour rising from
the sea, near the mouth of the harbour, which was probably that pheno-
menon vulgarly called the " barber," in North America, and which is oc-
casioned, I believe, by the vapour arising from the water being condensed
into a visible form by the coldness of the atmosphere. It is probable,
therefore, from the two circumstances now mentioned, that a motion had
taken place among the floes in the offing, producing first the pressure by
which the hummocks were thrown up, and then a partial separation, leaving
for a time a small space of unfrozen surface.
Between six and eight P.M., we observed the Aurora Borealis, forming a
broad arch of irregular white light, extending from N.N.W. to S.S.E., the
centre of the arch being 10° to the eastward of the zenith. It was most
bright near the southern horizon ; and frequent, but not vivid, coruscations
112 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
were seen shooting from its upper side, towards the zenith. The magnetic
needle was not sensibly affected by this phenomenon.
Thur. 21. Between two and three P.M. on the 21st, the weather being still remark-
ably clear and fine, and the sun near the horizon, a parhelion strongly pris-
matic was seen on each side of it, at the distance of 23°, resembling the legs
of a rainbow resting upon the land.
Tues. 26. On the 26th, the sun afforded us sufficient light for writing and reading in
my cabin, the stern-windows exactly facing the south, from half-past nine
till half-past two ; for the rest of the four-and-twenty hours Ave lived, of
course, by candle-light. Nothing could exceed the beauty of the sky to the
south-east and south-west at sun-rise and sun-set about this period : near the
horizon there was generally a rich bluish purple, and a bright arch of deep
red above, the one mingling imperceptibly Avith the other. The weather
about this time was remarkably mild, the mercury in the thermometer having
stood at or above zero for more than forty-eight hours. By a register of the
temperature of the atmosphere, which was kept by Captain Sabine at the ob-
servatory, it Avas found that the thermometer, invariably, stood at least from
2° to 5°, and even on one or two occasions as much as 7° higher on the outside
of the ships, than it did on shore, owing probably to a warm atmosphere,
created round the former by the constant fires kept up on board.
Frid. 29. On the 29th the Aveatherwas calm and clear, and Ave remarked, for the first
time, that the smoke from the funnels scarcely rose at all, but skimmed nearly
horizontally along the housing, the thermometer having got down to — 24°*,
and the mercury in the barometer standing at 29.70 inches. It now became
rather a painful experiment to touch any metallic substance in the open air
with the naked hand ; the feeling produced by it exactly resembling that oc-
casioned by the opposite extreme of intense heat, and taking off the skin
from the part affected. W^e found it necessary, therefore, to use great caution
in handling our sextants and other instruments, particularly the eye-pieces of
the telescopes, which, if suffered to touch the face, occasioned an intense
burning pain ; but this was easily remedied by covering them over with soft
leather. Another effect, with regard to the use of instruments, began to ap-
pear about this time. Whenever any instrument, which had been some time
* By a Meteorological Journal in my possession, kept at York Fort, Hudson's Bay, in
the year 1795, it appears that this phenomenon did not occur till the thermometer indi-
cated a temperature of ab o ut 36°. The height of the barometer is not mentioned.
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 113
exposed to the atmosphere, so as to be cooled down to the same temperature, 1819.
was suddenly brought below into the cabins, the vapour was instantly con- ^^!iS!/'"
densed all around it, so as to give the instrument the appearance of smoking,
and the glasses were covered almost instantaneously with a thin coating of ice,
the removal of which required great caution to prevent the risli of injuring them
until it had gradually thawed, as they acquired the temperature of the cabin.
When a candle was placed in a certain direction from the instrument, with
respect to the observer, a number of very minute spicules of snow were also
seen sparkling around the instrument, at the distance of two or three inches
from it, occasioned, as we supposed, by the cold atmosphere produced by the
low temperature of the instrument almost instantaneously congealing into that
form the vapour which floated in its immediate neighbourhood.
The month of November commenced with mild weather, which continued Novemb.
for the first ten days. It is generally supposed, by those who have not expe-
rienced the effects produced upon the feelings by the various alterations in the
temperature of the atmosphere, when the thermometer is low, that a change
of 10° or 15° makes no sensible difference in the sensation of cold ; but this is
by no means the case, for it was a remark continually made among us, that
our bodies appeared to adapt themselves so readily to the climate, that the
scale of our feelings, if I may so express it, was soon reduced to a lower stan-
dard Aan ordmary ; so that, after living for some days in a temperature of
-15° or -20°, it felt quite mild and comfortable when the thermometer rose
to zero, and vice versa.
The 4th of November being the last day that the sun would, independently Thurs. 4.
of the effects of refraction, be seen above our horizon till the eighth of Fe-
bruary, an interval of ninety-six days, it was a matter of considerable regret
to us that the weather about this time was not sufficiently clear to allow us to
see and make observations on the disappearance of that lunnnary, in order
that something might be attempted towards determining the amount of
the atmospherical refraction at a low temperature. But though we were not
permitted to take a last farewell, for at least three months, of that cheering
orb, " of this great world, both eye and soul," we nevertheless felt that this
day constituted an important and memorable epoch in our voyage. We had,
some time before, set about the preparations for our winters amusements ;'
and the theatre being ready, we opened on the 5th of November, with the Frid. 5.
representation of Miss in her Teens, which afforded to the men such a fund of
amusement as fully to justify the expectations we had formed of the utility of
Q
ABSTRACT of the METEOROLOGICAL JOURNAL kept on
joard His Majesty's Ship Hecla,
at Sea, during the Month of October,
1819.
Day
Temperature of Air
in shade.
Barometer.
Prerailing Winds.
Prevailing Weather.
Maxi-
Mini-
Mean.
Maxi-
Mini-
Mean.
1
+ 9
+ °6
o
+ 6,83
+
29?12
inclies.
29.89
inclies. ' inches.
29.82 29.860
N.N.W. to S.
Light airs and fine.
2
17.5
9.5
12.83
28.87
29.76
29.73 , 29.740
S.S.E.
Light breezes and fine.
3
10
6
8.75
29.12
29.77
29.68
29.750
s.w.
Light breezes with small snow.
4
16
5
9.83
28.62
29.59
29.17
29.390
S. Westerly
Fresh breezes and hazy with snow.
5
13
- 7
3.00
28.00
29.71
29.10
29,440
N.W.bN.
Strong breezes and cloudy.
6
8
- 8
— 1.80
28.00
29.81
29.50
29.730
Westerly.
Strong breezes and hazy with show.
7
15
0
+ 6.10
28.00
29.26
29.20
29.225
S.W.
Strong breezes and hazy.
8
1
- 8.5
+ 3.75
28.40
30.00
29.46
29.805
N.N.W.
Fresh breezes and cloudy.
9
0
— 5
— 1.83
28.00
30.00
29.93
29.952
West
Moderate and cloudy.
10
5
- 3
+ 1.83
28.00
29.83
29.68
29.752
S.S.W.
Moderate and fine.
11
10
+ 2
+ 4.54
28.00
29.69
29.60
29.630
West.
Moderate and hazy.
12
+ 7
— 8
— 4.17
28.00
29.63
29.44
29.535
N.N.W.
Fresh breezes and fine.
13
+ 10
+ 3
+ 7.60
28.00
29.57
29.43
29.490
5 HalfE.S.E. )
t Half West. J
Fresh breezes and hazy.
14
+ 5
— 6
— 2.50
28.00
30.00
29.44
29.710
W.N.W.
Moderate and cloudy.
15
+ 13
0
+ 6.17
28.00
29.62
29.30
29.425
f Half East. 7
1 Half North, j
Strong breezes and cloudy, with snow.
16
— 1
—12.5
— 5.20
27.50
29.91
29.49
29.742
N.b.W.
Fresh breezes and hazy.
17
—10.5
—16
— 12.88
28.00
30.20
29.93
30.095
North
Moderate and fine clear weather.
18
— 2
—14
— 6.08
28.00
30.22
30.18
30.190
N.N.W.
Light breezes and fine.
19
— 7
—14
— 11.25
27.62
30.20
29.98
30.120
West
Moderate and cloudy.
20
-13.5
—17.5
— 15.12
27.62
30.00
29.93
29.955
N.N.W.
Light breezes and fine.
21
— 7
—14
— 10.58
28.00
30.21
30,00
30.100
Ditto.
Ditto ditto.
22
— S
—14
— 6.92
28.00
30.32
30.27
30.300
North
Light breezes and cloudy.
23
+ 6
— 9
+ 0.12
28.00
30.13
30.03
30.070
North
Fresh breezes and hazy, with drift snow.
24
+ 1
- 6
— 2.83
28.25
30.06
30.01
30.045
North
Fresh breezes and hazy.
25
+ 5
+ 2
+ 3.71
28.00
30.16
30.05
30.112
N.bW.
Moderate and cloudy.
26
+
— 8
— 1.08
28.40
30.11
30.06
30.090
Ditto
Light breezes and cloudy.
27
— 4
—15
- 10.25
28.12
30.02
29.87
29.955
North
Light breezes and fine clear weather.
28
—17
—23
— 19.75
23.00
29.79
29.72
29.771
N.N.W.
Moderate and fine.
20
—20
—28
— 24.25
28.00
29.73
29.69
29.710
N.bW.
Light breezes and fine.
30
—25
-27.5
— 26.15
] 28.00
29.73
29.70
29.717
Ditto
Ditto ditto.
31
— 4
—28
- 12.17
28.00
29.91
29.70
29.847
N.N.W.
Light airs and cloudy.
+ 17.5
—28
— 3.46
28.114
30.32
29.10
29.81
VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY. 115
theatrical entertainments under our present circumstances, and to determine 1819.
me to follow them up at stated periods. I found indeed, that even the occu- yj^y^^ '
pation of fitting up the theatre, and taking it to pieces again, which employed
a number of the men for a day or two before and after each performance, was
a matter of no little importance, when the immediate duties of the ship ap-
peared by no means sufficient for that purpose ; for I dreaded the want of
employment as one of the worst evils that was likely to befal us.
On the 6th we tried the temperature of the sea at the bottom, the depth Sat. 6.
being five fathoms, and found it to be 30°, whilst that of the surface was 28°,
and of the air— 16°. On tlie 9th, the temperature of the bottom was as high Tues. 9.
as 31°, the surface being still at 28°. The specific gravity of the surface water
was 1.0264, at the temperature of 52°, and that of the water brought from
the bottom 1.0265, at 50°. On the same evening, the weather being fine and
clear, the Aurora Borealis was seen for nearly two hours, forming a long, low,
irregular arch of light, extending from north to south in the western quarter
of the heavens, its altitude in the centre being 3° or 4°. The electrometer-
chain was hoisted up to the mast-head, and its lower end brought down to
the ice, so as to keep it perfectly clear of all the masts and rigging, which
method was used throughout the winter; but no sensible effect was produced
on the gold-leaf. It was tried a second time, after the sky became full of
white fleecy clouds, but with as little success.
On the forenoon of the 11th, the thermometer having again fallen to — 26|°, Thur.ll.
the smoke, as it escaped from the funnels, scarcely rose at all above the
housing, Mr. Ross, having gone to the mast-head at noon, reported that he
saw the sun. There was no time for measuring the altitude, but Lieutenant
Beechey, who went up to observe it, considered that about twenty-four mi-
nutes of its disk appeared above the horizon, according to which the amount of
refraction would appear to be 2° 09' 05". The temperature of the atmosphere at
this time was — 27°, and the mercury in the barometer stood at 30.07 inches.
The thermometer having fallen to — 31° on the following day, we expected to Frid. U.
have seen the sun again, and looked out from the mast-head for that purpose, but
it did not re-appear. At six P.M. the Aurora Borealis was seen in a broken
irregular arch, about 6° high in the centre, extending from N.W. b. N. to
S. b. W., from whence a few coruscations Avere now and then faintly emitted
towards the zenith. From eight P.M. till midnight on the 13th, it was again Sat. 13.
seen in a similar manner from S.W. to S.E., the brightest part being in the
centre, or due south. On the 15th, Lieutenant Beechey informed me that
ii^ VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1819. he had seen, in the N.N.W. and S.E. quarters, some light transparent clouds,
v.,,-v^^ ■ from which columns of light were thrown upwards, resembling the Aurora
Borealis ; those to the S.E., being opposed to a very light sky, had a light-brown
Tues. 16. appearance. This phenomenon was again observed on the 16th, consisting of
a bright stationary light from S.S.W. to S. b. E., and reaching from the horizon
to the height of about 6° above it.
About the time of the sun's leaving us, the wolves began to approach the
ships more boldly, howling most piteously on the beach near us, sometimes
for hours together, and, on one or two occasions, coming alongside the ships,
when every thing was quiet at night ; but we seldom saw more than one
or two together, and, therefore, could form no idea of their number.
These animals were always very shy of coming near our people, and, though
evidently suffering much from hunger, never attempted to attack any of them.
The white foxes used also to visit the ships at night, and one of these {Cards
Lagopus) was caught in a trap, set under the Griper's bows. The uneasiness
displayed by this beautiful little animal during the time of his confinement,
whenever he heard the howling of a wolf near the ships, impressed us with an
opinion, that the latter is in the habit of hunting the fox as his prey.
Wed. 17. The rapidity with which the ice formed round the ships had now become so
great, as to employ our people for several hours each day in cutting it ; and
for the last three days our utmost labour, during the time of twilight, could
scarcely keep it clear. As it was evident, therefore, that, as the frost in-
creased, we could not possibly effect this, and as the men almost always got
their feet wet in sawing the ice, from which the most injurious effects upon
their health were likely to result, I gave orders to leave off cutting it any
more during the severity of the winter. The average formation of ice round
the ships, during the time we continued to remove it, was usually from three to
five inches in twenty-four hours ; and once it froze eight inches in twenty-six
hours, the mean temperature of the atmosphere being— 12°. At noon to-day
we saw, for the first time at this hour, a star of the first magnitude (Capella), and
at half an hour past noon, those of the second magnitude in Ursa Major were
visible ; which circumstance will, perhaps, give the best idea of the weakness of
the sun's light at this period. At three P.M. a remarkable variety of the Aurora
Borealis was seen by several of the officers. Having about this time been
confined for a few days to my cabin by indisposition, I am indebted to Lieu-
tenant Beechey for the following description of it : — " Clouds of a light-
brown colour were seen, diverging from a point near . the horizon bearing
J
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 117
S.W. b. S., and shooting pencils of rays upwards at an angle of about 45° 1819.
with the horizon. These rays, however, were not stationary as to their posi- "^^"^
tion, but were occasionally extended and contracted. From behind these, as
it appeared to us, flashes of white light were repeatedly seen, which some-
times streamed across to the opposite horizon, some passing through the
zenith, others at a considerable distance on each side of it. This phenomenon
continued to display itself brilliantly for half an hour, and then became gra-
dually fainter till it disappeared, about four o'clock. The sun, at the time of
the first appearance of this meteor, was on nearly the same bearing, and about
5° below the horizon."
The temperature of the atmosphere having, about this time, become con- Thur. 18.
siderably lower than before, the cracking of the timbers was very frequent
and loud for a time ; but generally ceased altogether in an hour or two after
this fall had taken place in the thermometer, and did not occur again at the
same temperature during the winter. The wind blowing fresh from the
northward, with a heavy snow-drift, made the ship very cold below ; so that
the breath and other vapour accumulated during the night in the bed-places
and upon the beams, and then immediately froze ; hence it often occupied all
hands for two or three hours during the day to scrape the ice away, in order
to prevent the bedding from becoming wet by the increase of temperature
occasioned by the fires. It was therefore found necessary to keep some of
the fires in between decks at night, when the thermometer was below — 15°
or —20° in the open air, especially when the wind was high. To assist in
keeping the lower decks warm, as well as to retard, in some slight degree,
the formation of ice immediately in contact with the ships' bends, we banked
the snow up against their sides, as high as the main-chains ; and canvass
screens were nailed round all the hatchways on the lower deck.
The stars of the second magnitude in Ursa Major were just perceptible to
the naked eye a little after noon this day, and the Aurora Borealis appeared
faintly in the south-west at night. About this time our medical gentlemen
began to remark the extreme difficulty with which sores of every kind healed ;
a circumstance that rendered it the more necessary to be cautious in exposing
the men to frost-bites, lest the long inactivity and want of exercise during the
cure of sores in other respects trifling, should produce serious effects upon the
general health of the patients.
From midnight on the 20th, till two o'clock on the following morning, the Sun. 2i.
thermometer rose from —46° to -401°, and at half-past three a gale came
lis VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1819. on from the northward, which continued to blow, and the thermometer gra-
v^i^^^' dually to rise, till the latter had reached —21° at midnight. This was one of
a great many instances which occurred during the winter, of an increase of
wind, from whatever quarter, being accompanied by a simultaneous rise in the
thermometer. The gale continued strong for the greater part of the two
following days, with a tremendous snow-drift, which kept us all on board till
the afternoon of the 23d. In the mean time another play had been prepared,
and our second performance, to which the crews had been anxiously looking
forward, took place on the evening of the 24th.
The temperature of the ship's holds, at this time, was generally from
27° to 34°, the aftermost being always the warmest, and a considerable
quantity of the beer was found frozen in the casks. The thermometer seldom
Sun. 26 rose higher than 40° on the lower deck, throughout the day. On the 26th in
the morning, some vivid coruscations of the Aurora Borealis were observed
from S. to N.W., commencing at 4° or 5° of altitude, and streaming towards
the zenith.
Early in the afternoon of the 20th, Captain Sabine observed a small meteor
fall to the ground in the W. by N., not apparently more than a mile distant.
It fell slowly, with a faint white light, which increased considerably as it
approached the earth. When first seen, its height was about 8° or 10°, and
the descent appeared perpendicular, or nearly so. The atmosphere at this
time was remarkably clear. Soon after the moon rose this afternoon, it was
curiously deformed by refraction, the lower edges of its disk appearing in-
dented with deep notches, and at other times seeming to be cut off square at
the bottom. A single ray, or rather a column of light, of the same diameter
as the moon, was also observed to descend from it to the top of the hill,
29 & 30. like a pillar supporting it. On this and the two following nights, we were
occupied from five to seven hours in taking lunar distances in the open air,
the thermometer being from —34° to —36°. This we did without any ma-
terial inconvenience, as long as the weather continued calm or nearly so ; but
with a moderate breeze it soon became too painful to handle the screws of
the sextant. The difficulty of making observations in this climate is not,
however, confined to the sensation of cold produced by handling the instru-
ments, or by standing still for several hours together at so Ioav a temperature ;
but it is also necessary to hold the breath very carefully during the time of
making the observation ; for if the least vapour be suffered to touch the in-
strument, it is immediately converted into a coat of ice, which dims
I
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 119
the glasses, and renders the instrument unserviceable till the ice has 18lf).
been thawed, and the instrument thoroughly cleaned. Our sextants were -.^^J^'
somewhat injured, in the cold weather, by the cracking of the silver on the
horizon and index glasses, arising as we supposed, from the unequal con-
traction of the two substances. The mercury of the artificial horizons froze
into a solid mass as we were observing the moon's altitude in it, although
the themiometer on shore indicated only — 36°. This was probably owing to
the mercury having become adulterated by admixture with the lead of the
troughs, which disposed it to congeal at a higher temperature than the
freezing point of pure mercury.
At half-past six P.M., on the 1st of December, part of a circular halo, Decemb.
whose radius was 22° 52', was observed round the moon, which was near the
full. Part of a well-defined horizontal circle of white light, passing through
the moon, extended also for several degrees on each side of her, and in the
points where this circle intersected the halo, were two prismatic spots of
light, or paraselenae. In that part of the halo which was immediately over
the moon, was another spot much brighter ; and opposite to it, in the lower
part of the circle, another similar but much more faint. About the same
time, on the following evening, two concentric circles were observed round Tlmr. 2.
the moon, the radius of the smaller being 38°, and of the larger 46°. Upon
the inner circle were four paraselenae, strongly prismatic, situated with re-
spect to the moon as on the preceding day ; and there was also a faint ho-
rizontal circle of white light, passing through the moon as before. The weather
was fine in both these instances, but there was still a sort of haziness in the
atmosphere which prevented the heavenly bodies being very distinctly seen.
On the 10th, at two P.M., Captain Sabine observed a small meteor fall in Frid. 10.
the direction of N.N.W. from the ships, similar in character and appearance
to that seen on the 28th of November, except that the light was not so vivid,
and it was extinguished, instead of burning more fiercely, before it reached
the earth. About this time we were a good deal annoyed for some days
together by the thermometer continuing higher than usual, the wind being
from the E.S.E., which caused a considerable degree of dampness between
decks, in consequence of the ice thawing in every crevice where it could not
readily be removed in any other way. This annoyance could only be got rid
of by constant wiping, and by increasing the fires for the time : but, when
the thermometer fell to 15° or 20° below zero, it again became solid, and
ceased to be an inconvenience.
ABSTRACT of the METEOROLOGICAL JOURNAL kept on board His Majesty's Ship Hecla
during the Mo
1th o{ November, I8I9.
Day
Temperature of Air
in shade.
Barometer.
Prevailing Winds.
Prevailing Weather.
Maxi-
Mini-
mnm.
Mean.
Maxi-
Mini.
Mean.
1
+ 2°
-3°
- 1?00
+
o
28
iocbes.
29.89
inches.
29.81
inches.
29.870
f North 1
1 N.N.W. )
Light breezes and hazy.
Moderate and hazy.
2
+ 5
0
+ 3.25
29.5
29.90
29.81
29.865
N.N.W.
Light breezes and hazy.
3
+ 6
0
+ 3.92
30.02
29.93
29.975
N.b.W.
Ditto ditto.
4
+ 6
+
+ 5.50
30.17
30.07
30.120
( N.E. round by t
\ West to S.S.E. i
Ditto ditto.
5
+ 6
-7
- 0.67
29
30.30
30.21
30.272
North
Ditto. Ditto
6
-8
-18
-14.08
28
30.32
30.27
30.298
North
Moderate and fine.
7
-6.5
-16
-11.12
30
30.08
30.00
30.030
North
Moderate and hazy.
8
-5
-13
- 10.04
29.93
29.93
29.930
North
Moderate and fine.
9
-11
-15
- 12.75 •
2S.5
29.98
29.87
29.920
N.b.W.
Strong breezes and hazy, witli drift snow.
10
-6.5
-15
- 9.67
30
30.07
30.00
30.047
N.b.W.
Moderate and hazy, with snow.
11
-13
-26.5
-18.62
30.07
30.025
30.039
N.N.W.
Moderate breezes and fine.
12
-24
-32
-28.58
30.13
30.025
30.074
North
Light breezes and fine clear weather.
13
-24
-34
-28.50
29.5
29.95
29.86
29.920
N.W.
Moderate and hazy.
14
-25
-32
-26.08
29.5
29.81
29.79
29.802
S.S.E.
Light breezes and hazy.
15
-21
-40
-30.88
30
29.95
29.73
29.790
f Calm J
\ West ;
Fine weather.
Bloderate and fine clear weather.
16
-36
-42
-39.79
30.20
30.04
30.112
S.W.
Light breezes and fine.
17
-30
-40
-35.03
30.21
30.09
30.158
North
Ditto. Ditto.
18
-34
-37
-36.00
30.07
29.97
30.054
N.N.W.
Fresh breezes and clear, with drift snow.
19
-38
-47
-42.92
30.20
30.12
30.165
C North round by 1
j West to S.W. (
Light airs and fine— calm at times.
20
-40
-47
-43.71
30.14
29.96
30.057
t Half N.N.W. \
\ Half North j
Light breezes and fine.
21
-20
-40.5
-27.79
29.81
29.72
29.765
North
Fresh breezes and hazy, with drift snow.
22
-21
-25
-23.00
29.72
29.72
29.720
North
Strong gales and squally, with considerable drift.
23
-25
30.20
29.92
30.000
North
Ditto. Ditto
24
-15
30.11
29.83
29.982
North
Fresh breezes and fine, with drift snow.
25
-5
-18
-11.75
29.81
29.73
29.770
N.bW.
Moderate breezes and hazy, with light snow.
26
-20
-28
-24.79
29.70
29.67
29.690
N.N.W.
Light breezes and fine.
27
-13
-28.5
-18.38
29.67
29.63
29.650
West
Ditto Ditto.
28
-24.5
-32
-28.29
29.80
29.68
29.750
North
Light breezes and fine.
29
-31
-32.5
-31.92
29.75
29.72
29.740
( North i
{ Calm 5
Light variable airs and calms.
30
-32
-34
-33.58
29.73
29.66
29.695
N.N.W.
Light airs and fine clear weather.
+ 0
-47
- 20.60
30.32
29.63
29.945
VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY 121 •
On the 14th of December, the day was beautifully serene and clear, and 1819.
there was more redness in the southern sky about noon, than there had been \^^^'
for many days before ; the tints, indeed, might almost be called prismatic. Tue». 14.
At six P.M., the Aurora Borealis was seen forming two concentric arches,
passing from the western horizon on each side of the zenith to within 20° of
the opposite horizon, resting on a dark cloud about seven degrees high, from
behind which the light appeared to issue, and partially streaming from the
cloud to the zenith. No effect was produced by it on the electrometer or the
magnetic needle. The appearance I have just described of the light seeming
to issue from behind an ojbscure cloud, is a very common one ; it is not always,
however, easy to tell whether any cloud really exists, or whether the appear-
ance is a deception arising from the vivid light of the Aurora being con-
trasted with the darker colour of the sky near it.
On the 17th, in the morning, this phenomenon was again observed, being a Frid. 17.
stationary faint light from S.W. to VT.S.W. The breeze freshened up strong
from the eastward, and the thermometer gradually rose, as usual, till at four
P.M. it had reached zero, being the first time that it had stood so high since
the 5th of November. The water in the Hecla's pump-well had, by this
time, become completely frozen, so that it was no longer possible to work
the pumps. In what manner the pumps could be kept free under such cir-
cumstances, if it were found necessary, I do not know, as there would have
been a risk of damaging the lower part of them, in detaching the ice from it
to make the experiment. The Hecla, however, was so tight as not to re-
quire it ; as a proof of which it need only be mentioned, that the same twenty
inches of ice which was formed about this period, remained without any
addition for more than six months, during which time she was never once
pumped out ; and the only inconvenience that resulted from this, was the
accumulation of a small quantity of ice among the coals in the lower part of
the fore and main holds.
About this part of the winter, we began to experience a more serious in-
convenience from the bursting of the lemon-juice bottles by frost, the whole
contents being frequently frozen into a solid mass, except a small portion of
highly-concentrated acid in the centre, which, in most instances, was found
to have leaked out, so that when the ice was thawed, it was little better
than water. This evil increased to a very alarming degree in the course of the
winter: some cases being opened in which more than two-thirds of the lemon-
juice was tlius destroyed, and the remainder rendered nearly inefficient. It
123 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1819. was at first supposed that this accident might have been prevented by not quite
ecera . gji|jj^„ ^j^g bottles, but it was afterwards found, that the corks flying out did
not save them from breaking. We observed that the greatest damage
was done in those cases vi^hich were stowed nearest to the ship's side, and
we, therefore, removed all the rest amidships, a precaution which, had it
been sooner known and adopted, would probably have prevented, at least,
a part of the mischief. The vinegar, also, became frozen in the casks in the
same manner, and lost a great deal of its acidity when thawed. This
circumstance conferred an additiorial value on a few gallons of very highly
concentrated vinegar, which had been sent out on trial, upon this and the
preceding voyage, and which, when mixed with six or seven times its own
quantity of water, was sufficiently acid for every purpose. This vinegar,
when exposed to the temperature of 25° below zero, congealed only into a
consistence like that of the thickest honey, but was never sufficiently hard to
break any vessel which contained it. There can be no doubt, therefore,
that on this account as well as to save stowage, this kind of vinegar should
exclusively be used in these regions ; and, for similar reasons, of still greater
importance, the lemon-juice should be concentrated.
Sun. 19. On the 19th, the weather being fine and clear, the Aurora Borealis appeared
frequently at different times of the day, generally from the south to the
W.N.W. quarters, and not very vivid. From eight P.M. till midnight, how-
ever, it became more brilliant, and broke out in every part of the heavens,
being generally most bright from S.S.W. to S.W., where it had the appear-
ance of emerging from behind a dark cloud about five degrees above the
horizon. We could not, however, help feeling some disappointment in not
having yet witnessed this beautiful phenomenon in any degree of perfection,
which could be compared to that which occurs at Shetland, or in the Atlantic,
Mon. 20. about the same latitude as these islands. On the morning of the 20th, the
Aurora Borealis again made its appearance in the N.W., which was more
to the northward than usual ; it here resembled two small bright clouds, the
one nearly touching the other, and being about seven degrees above the ho-
rizon. These remained quite stationary for half an hour, and then broke up
into streams shooting rapidly towards the zenith.
Wed. 22. ^^ ^^^ ^ow reached the shortest day, and such was the occupation which
we had hitherto contrived to find during the first half of our long and gloomy
winter, that the quickness with which it had come upon us was a subject of
general remark. So far, indeed, were we from wanting that occupation
X
-:^
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 123
of which I had been apprehensive, especially among the men, that it acci- 1810.
dentally came to my knowledge about this period, that they complained of vl^^^'
not having time to mend their clothes. This complaint I was as glad to hear,
as desirous to rectify ; and I therefore ordered that, in future, one afternoon
in each week should be set aside for that particular purpose.
The circumstances of our situation being such as have never before oc-
curred to the crews of any of His Majesty's ships, it may not, perhaps, be
considered wholly uninteresting, to know in what manner our time was thus
so fully occupied throughout the long and severe winter, which it was our
lot to experience, and particularly during a three months' interval of nearly
total darkness.
The officers and quarter-masters were divided into four watches, which
were regularly kept, as at sea, Avhile the remainder of the ship's company
were allowed to enjoy their night's rest undisturbed. The hands were turned
up at a quarter before six, and both decks were well rubbed with stones and
warm sand before eight o'clock, at which time, as usual at sea, both officers
and men went to breakfast. Three-quarters of an hour being allowedafterbreak-
fast for the men to prepare themselves for muster, we then beat to divisions
punctually at a quarter-past nine, when every person on board attended on the
quarter-deck, and a strict inspection of the men took place, as to their per-
sonal cleanliness, and the good condition, as well as sufficient warmth, of
their clothing. The reports of the officers having been made to me, the
people were then allowed to walk about, or, more usually, to run round the
upper deck, while I went down to examine the state of that below, accom-
panied, as I before mentioned, by Lieutenant Beechey and Mr. Edwards.
The state of this deck may be said, indeed, to have constituted the chief
source of our anxiety, and to have occupied by far the greatest share of our
attention at this period. Whenever any dampness appeared, or, what more
frequently happened, any accumulation of ice had taken place during the
preceding night, the necessary means were immediately adopted for re-
moving it ; in the former case usually by rubbing the wood with cloths, and
then directing the warm air-pipe towards the place ; and in the latter, by
scraping off the ice, so as to prevent its wetting the deck by any accidental
increase of temperature. In this respect the bed-places were particularly
troublesome ; the inner partition, or that next the ship's side, being almost
invariably covered with more or less dampness or ice, according to the tem-
perature of the deck during the preceding night. This inconvenience might
l-gft VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1819. to a great degree have been avoided, by a sufficient quantity of fuel to keep
Decemb. ^^ ^^^ good fires on the lower deck, throughout the twenty -four hours ; but
our stock of coals would by no means permit this, bearing in mind the pos-
sibility of our spending a second winter within the Arctic circle ; and this
comfort could only, therefore, be allowed on a few occasions, during the
most severe part of the winter.
In the course of my examination of the lower deck, I had always an op-
portunity of seeing those few men who were on the sick list, and of re-
ceiving from Mr. Edwards a report of their respective cases ; as also of con-
sulting that gentleman as to the means of improving the warmth, ventilation,
and general comfort of the inhabited parts of the ship. Having performed
this duty, we returned to the upper deck, where I personally inspected the
men; after which they were sent out to walk on shore when the weather would
permit, till noon, when they returned on board to their dinner. When the
day was too inclement for them to take this exercise, they were ordered to
run round and round the deck, keeping step to a tune on the organ, or, not
unfrequently, to a song of their own singing. Among the men were a
few who did not at first quite like this systematic mode of taking exercise ;
but when they found that no plea, except that of illness, was admitted as
an excuse, they not only willingly and cheerfully complied, but made it the
occasion of much humour and frolic among themselves.
The officers, who dined at two o'clock, were also in the habit of occupying
one or two hours in the middle of the day in rambling on shore, even in our
darkest period, except when a fresh wind and a heavy snow-drift confined
them within the housing of the ships. It may be well imagined that at
this period, there was but little to be met with in our walks on shore, which
could either amuse or interest us. The necessity of not exceeding the
limited distance of one or two miles, lest a snow-drift, which often rises very
suddenly, should prevent our return, added considerably to the dull and
tedious monotony which, day after day, presented itself. To the southward
was the sea, covered with one unbroken surface of ice, uniform in its daz-
zling whiteness, except that, in some parts, a few hummocks were seen
thrown up somewhat above the general level. Nor did the land offer much
greater variety, being almost entirely covered with snow, except here and
there a brown patch of bare ground in some exposed situations, where the
wind had not allowed the snow to remain. When viewed from the summit of
the neighbouring hills, on one of those calm and clear days, which not
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 125
unfrequently occurred during the winter, the scene was such as to induce J819.
contemplations, which had, perhaps, more of melancholy than of any other \^^r<^'
feeling. Not an object was to be seen on which the eye could long rest with
pleasure, unless when directed to the spot where the ships lay, and where
our little colony was planted. The smoke which there issued from the
several fires, affording a certain indication of the presence of man, gave a
partial cheerfulness to this part of the prospect, and the sound of voices
which, during the cold weather, could be heard at a much greater distance
than usual, served now and then to break the silence which reigned around
us, a silence far different from that peaceable composure which characterizes
the landscape of a cultivated country ; it was the death-like stillness of the
most dreary desolation, and the total absence of animated existence. Such,
indeed, was the want of objects to afford relief to the eye or amusement to
the mind, that a stone of more than usual size appearing above the snow, in
the direction in which we were going, immediately became a mark, on which
our eyes were unconsciously fixed, and towards which we mechanically ad-
vanced.
Dreary as such a scene must necessarily be, it could not, however, be
said to be wholly wanting in interest, especially when associated in the
mind with the peculiarity of our situation, the object which had brought
us hither, and the hopes which the least sanguine among us sometimes en-
tertained, of spending a part of our next winter in the more genial climate
of the South-Sea Islands. Perhaps, too, though none of us then ventured to
confess it, our thoughts would sometimes involuntarily wander homewards,
and institute a comparison between the rugged face of nature in this desolate
region, and the livelier aspect of the happy land which we had left behind us.
We had frequent occasion, in our walks on shore, to remark the deception
which takes place in estimating the distance and magnitude of objects, when
viewed over an unvaried surface of snow. It was not uncommon for us to
direct our steps towards what we took to be a large mass of stone, at the
distance of half a mile from us, but which we were able to take up in our
hands after one minute's walk. This was more particularly the case, when
ascending the brow of a hill, nor did we find that the deception became
less, on account of the frequency with which we experienced its effects.
In the afternoon, the men were usually occupied in drawing and knotting
yarns, and in making points and gaskets ; a never-failing resource, where
mere occupation is required, and which it was necessary to perform entirely
136 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1819. on the lower deck, the yarns becoming so hard and brittle, when exposed
'^^^^ on deck to the temperature of the atmosphere, as to be too stiff for work-
ing, and very easily broken. I may in this place remark, that our lower
rigging became extremely slack during the severity of the winter, and gra-
dually tightened again as the spring returned : effects the very reverse of
those which we had anticipated, and which I can only account for by the
extreme dryness of the atmosphere in the middle of winter, and the sub-
sequent increase of moisture.
At half-past five in the evening, the decks were cleared up, and at
six we again beat to divisions, when the same examination of the men
and of their births and bed-places took place as in the morning ; the people
then went to their supper, and the officers to tea. After this time the men
were permitted to amuse themselves as they pleased, and games of
various kinds, as well as dancing and singing occasionally, went on upon
the lower deck till nine o'clock, when they went to bed, and their lights
were extinguished. In order to guard against accidents by fire, where so
many fires and lights were necessarily in use, the quarter-masters visited
the lower deck every half hour during the night, and made , their report to
the officers of the watches that all was, in this respect, safe below ; and to
secure a ready supply of water in case of fire, a hole was cut twice a day in
the ice, close alongside each ship. It is scarcely necessary to add, that the
evening occupations of the officers were of a more rational kind than those
which engaged the attention of the men. Of these, reading and writing were
the principal employments, to which were occasionally added a game at
chess, or a tune on the flute or violin, till half-past ten, about which time we
all retired to rest.
Such were the employments which usually occupied us for six days in
the week, with such exceptions only as circumstances at the time suggested.
On Sundays, divine service was invariably performed, and a sermon read
on board both ships ; the prayer appointed to be daily used at sea being
altered, so as to adapt it to the service in which we were engaged, the
success which had hitherto attended our efforts, and the peculiar circum-
stances under which we were at present placed. The attention paid by the
men to the observance of their religious duties, was such as to reflect upon
them the highest credit, and tended in no small degree to the preservation
of that regularity and good conduct, for which, with very few exceptions
they were invariably distinguished.
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 127
Our theatrical entertainments took place regularly once a fortnight, and 1819.
continued to prove a source of infinite amusement to the men. Our stock of ^^^^ '
plays was so scanty, consisting only of one or two volumes, which happened
accidentally to be on board, that it was with difficulty we could find the
means of varying the performances sufficiently ; our authors, therefore, set
to work, and produced, as a Christmas piece, a musical entertainment, ex-
pressly adapted to our audience, and having such a reference to the service
on which we were engaged, and the success we had so far experienced, as
at once to afford a high degree of present recreation, and to stimulate, if
possible, the sanguine hopes which were entertained by all on board, of the
complete accomplishment of our enterprise. We were at one time ap-
prehensive, that the severity of the weather would have prevented the
continuance of this amusement, but the perseverance of the officers over-
came every difficulty ; and, perhaps for the first time since theatrical en-
tertainments were invented, more than one or two plays were performed,
on board the Hecla, with the thermometer below zero on the stage.
The North Georgia Gazette, which I have already mentioned, was a source
of great amusement, not only to the contributors, but to those who, from
diffidence of their own talents, or other reasons, could not be prevailed on
to add their mite to the little stock of literary composition, which was
weekly demanded ; for those who declined to write were not unwilling to
read, and more ready to criticise than those who wielded the pen ; but it
was that good-humoured sort of criticism that could not give offence. The
subjects handled in this paper were, of course, various, but generally ap-
plicable to our own situation. Of its merits or defects it will not be necessary
for me to say any thing here, as I find that the officers, who were chiefly
concerned in carrying it on, have agreed to print it for the entertainment of
their friends ; the publisher being at liberty, after supplying each with a
certain number of copies, to dispose of the rest.
The return of each successive day had been always very decidedly marked
by a considerable twilight for some time about noon, that on the shortest
day being sufficient to enable us to walk out very comfortably for nearly two
hours*. There was usually, in clear weather, a beautiful arch of bright
128 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
.1819. red light, overspreading the southern horizon for an hour or two before
\.*->-*^ and atter noon, the light increasing, of course, in strength, as the sun ap.
preached the meridian. Short as the day now was, if indeed any part of
the twenty-four hours could properly be called by that name, the reflection of
light from the snow, aided occasionally by a bright moon, was at all times
sufficient to prevent our experiencing, even under the most unfavourable cir-
cumstances, any thing like the gloomy night which occurs in more temperate
climates. Especial care was taken, during the time the sun was below
the horizon, to preserve the strictest regularity in the time of our meals,
and in the various occupations which engaged our attention during the day ;
and this, together with the gradual and imperceptible manner in which the
days had shortened, prevented this kind of life, so novel to us in reality,
from appearing very inconvenient, or indeed like any thing out of the common
way. It must be confessed, however, that we were not sorry to have ar-
rived, without any serious suffering, at the shortest day ; and we watched,
with no ordinary degree of pleasure, the slow approach of the returning sun,
. We had generally found the ice to crack near the shore, as I have already
had occasion to observe, about the second day after the new and full moon,
in consequence of the highest tides taking place at that time; but this was not
the case in the present lunation ; the separation of the ice from the beach not
having taken place till the 22d, or five days and eight hours after the time of
the new moon. This retardation of the tides may, perhaps, have arisen from
the circumstance of the moon and sun having both had their greatest south
declination about the usual time of the highest spring-tide. It may possibly
have been affected also by fresh gales from the eastward, which blew on the
17th and I8th.
Sat. 25. On Christmas-day the weather was raw and cold, with a considerable snow-
drift, though the wind was only moderate from the N.W. ; but the snow
which falls during the severe winter of this climate is composed of spiculae
so extremely minute, that +J requires very little wind to raise and carry it
along. To mark the day in the best manner which circumstances would
permit, divine service was performed on board the ships ; and I directed
a small increase in the men's usual proportion of fresh nxeat as a Christmas-
dinner, as well as an additional allowance of grog, to drink the health of
their friends in England. The officers also met at a social and friendly din-
ner, and the day passed with much of the same kind of festivity by which it
is usually distinguished at home ; and, to the credit of the men be it spoken,
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 129
without any of that disorder by which it is too often observed by seamen. 1819.
A piece of English roast-beef, which formed part of the officers' dinner, had v,^^^'
been on board since the preceding May, and preserved without salt during
that period, merely by the antiseptic properties of a cold atmosphere.
Between eight and nine A.M. on the 26th, the wiiid freshened up very
suddenly to a strong breeze from the northward and westward, and during
that hour the thermometer rose from — 20° to — 6°. In the afternoon the
wind became moderate and variable in its direction, and the thermometer had
again fallen to — 17° at midnight, and continued to fall very gradually for the
four following days, till on the 30th it had reached — 43°, being the lowest
temperature we had yet experienced. During the whole of that interval the
weather was nearly calm, and very fine and clear, and at half past seven
A.M. on the 30th, the mercury in the barometer stood at 30.755 inches, being
the highest we had yet seen it during the voyage. The colours of the southern
sky near the horizon were observed to be remarkably prismatic at noon on
that day.
A great many frost-bites occurred about this time, principally in the men's Thur. 30.
feet, even when they had been walking quickly on shore for exercise. On ex-
amining their boots, Mr. Edwards remarked, that the stiffness of the thick
leather, of which they were made, was such as to cramp the feet, and prevent
the circulation from going on freely, and that this alone was sufficient to
account for their feet having been frost-bitten. Being very desirous of
avoiding these accidents, which from the increased sluggishness with which
the sores healed, were more and more likely to affect the general health of
the patients by long confinement, I directed a pair of canvass boots, lined
with blanketing, or some other woollen stuff, to be made for each man, using
raw hide as soles ; this completely answered the desired purpose, as scarcely
any frost-bites in the feet afterwards occurred, except under circumstances of
very severe exposure.
On the 31st of December, another striking instance occurred of the Frid. 31.
simultaneous rise in the wind and the thermometer. At two A.M. the latter
stood at -28°, but the wind freshening up to a strong breeze from the north-
ward and eastward, and afterwards from the S.S.E. in the course of the day,
the thermometer gradually rose at the same time, and stood at + 5° at mid-
night ; thus closing the year with milder weather than we had enjoyed for
the eight preceding weeks.
ABSTRACT of the METEOROLOGICAL JOURNAL kept on board His Majesty's Ship Hecla,
during the Month of December
, 1819.
Day
Temperature of Air
in shade.
Barometer.
Prevailing Winds.
Prevailing Weather.
Mari-
Mini-
Mean.
Maxi-
Mini-
Mean.
1
o
-25
-3°4
- 30.29
inches.
29.60
inches. ' inches.
29.57 29.582
Round the compass .
Light airs and fine.
2
28
36
32.96
29.60
29.52
29.570
5 HalfN.N.W. >
t HalfS.b.E. S
Ditto ditto.
3
9
23
16.04
29.46
29.40
29.430
S.b.E.
Fresh breezes and hazy.
4
26
34
31.71
29.42
29.36
29.395
W.N.W.
Moderate and hazy.
5
27
35
31.25
29.46
29.36
29.397
N.b.W.
Moderate and fine.
6
23
34
27.00
29.51
29.45
29.470
West.
Light airs and fine.
7
19
26
22.29
29.67
29.53
29.592
S.E.
Light airs and hazy.
8
15
22
19.67
29.80
29.67
29.738
E.S.E.
Moderate and clear.
9
17
21
18.83
29.89
29.83
29.867
E.b.S.
Fresh breezes and hazy.
10
18
21
19.33
:29.90
29.89
29.893
East.
Fresh breezes and clear.
11
4
20
11.21
29.80
29.65
29.715
E.b.S.
Fresh breezes and hazy.
12
9
20
14.42
29.74
29.67
29.700
North
Fresh breezes and clear.
13
7
14
10.96
29.92
29.79
29.865
N.W.b.N.
Light breezes and hazy.
14
7
10
8.29
30.40
30.04
30.230
C A.M.,N.W.b.W.>
I P.M.,S.W. S
Ditto ditto.
15
7
15
11.63
30.39
30.23
30.350
East.
Moderate and hazy.
16
8
18
13.50
30.31
30.13
30.240
E.S.E.
Moderate and fine clear weather.
17
0
9
4.37
30.00
29.85
29.905
East.
Strong breezes and cloudy, with drift.
18
3
11
5.00
29.90
29.84
29.886
East.
Ditto ditto.
19
9
24
17.46
29.95
29.94
29.945
N.N.W,
Moderate and fine.
20
19
25
22.83
29.96
29.93
29.940
N.b.W.
Fresh breezes and cloudy.
21
19
25
23.50
30.11
30.00
30.071
North
Ditto with drift.
22
27
35
31.00
30.06
30.05
30.052
N.N.W.
Light breezes and fine.
23
30
37
33.83
30.10
30.03
30.060
N.W.
Ditto ditto
24
24
34
31.17
30.01
29.71
29.842
C Half N.W. 7
I HalfN.N.W. I
Moderate and fine.
25
23.5
30
26.04
29.69
29.59
29.648
N.W.
Ditto ditto.
26
5
34
16.21
29.35
29.10
29.226
N.W.
Fresh breezes and hazy with drift.
27
17
32
24.58
29.94
29.47
29.710
W.N.W.
Moderate and fine.
28
34
39
36.75
30.33
30.01
30.162
South.
Light breezes and fine.
29
34
40
37.38
30.71
30.40
30.562
South.
Ditto ditto.
30
30
43
38.96
30.75
30.62
30.688
North
Ditto ditto.
31
+ 6
28
7.17
30.39
29.80
30.092
5 A.M.,N-N.E. >
\ P.M., East. S
Strong breezes and hazy with drift snow.
+ 6
-43
-21.79
30.75
29.10;
29.865
VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY.
131
CHAPTER VI.
FIRST APPEARANCE OP SCURVY — THE AURORA BOREALIS AND OTHER
METEOROLOGICAL PHENOMENA — VISITS OF THE WOLVES — RE-APPEAR-
ANCE OF THE SUN — EXTREME LOW TEMPERATURE — DESTRUCTION OF
THE HOUSE ON SHORE BY FIRE — SEVERE FROST-BITES OCCASIONED BY
THIS ACCIDENT.
1820.
January.
Sat. 1 .
1 HE mild weather with which the new year commenced was not of long
duration ; for, as the wind gradually moderated, the thermometer slowly fell
once more to the average temperature of the atmosphere at this season. The
quantity of snow which had fallen at this time was so small, that its general
depth on shore did not exceed one or two inches, except where it had
drifted into the ravines and hollows. At ten A.M., on the 1st, a halo, whose
radius was 22° 30', with three paraselenae, which were very luminous, but not
tinged with the prismatic colours, was seen about the moon, similar to that
described on the 1st of December; and' on the following day the same Sun. 2.
phenomenon occurred, with the addition of a vertical stripe of white light
proceeding from the upper and lower limbs of the moon, and forming, with a
part of the horizontal circle seen before, the appearance of a cross, as shewn
in the accompanying diagram. There was also at times an arc of another
^W2 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1820. circle touching the halo, which sometimes reached almost to the zenith,
January. ^^^ changed the intensity of its light very frequently, not unlike the Aurora
Borealis.
I received this morning the first unpleasant report of the scurvy having
made its appearance among us: Mr. Scallon, the gunner of the Hecla,
had for some days past been complaining of pains in his legs, which
Mr. Edwards at first took to be rheumatic, but which together with the
appearance of his gums, now left no doubt of the symptoms being scor-
butic. It is so uncommon a thing for this disease to make its first ap-
pearance among the officers, that Mr. Edwards was naturally curious to in-
quire into the cause of it; and at length discovered that Mr. Scallon's bedding
was in so damp a state, in consequence of the deposit of moisture in his
bed-place, which I have before mentioned, as to leave no doubt that to this
circumstance, as the immediate exciting cause, his illness might justly be
attributed. The difficulty of preventing this deposit of moisture, and the
consequent accumulation of ice, was much greater in the officers' bed-places
than in those of the men, in consequence of the former being necessarily
placed in close contact with the ships' sides, and foraiing an immediate com-
munication, as it were, with the external atmosphere ; whereas in the latter,
there was a vacant interval of eighteen inches in width interposed between
them. To prevent, as much as possible, therefore, the injurious effects of
this evil upon the health of the officers, I appointed certain days for the
airing of their bedding by the fires, as well as for that of the ships' companies.
Every attention was paid to Mr. Scallon's case by the medical gentlemen,
and all our anti-scorbutics were put in requisition for his recovery ; these con-
sisted principally of preserved vegetable soups, lemon-juice, and sugar,
pickles, preserved currants and gooseberries, and spruce-beer. I began also
about this time to raise a small quantity of mustard and cress in my cabin, in
small shallow boxes filled with mould, and placed along the stove-pipe ; by
these means, even in the severity of the winter, we could generally ensure
a crop at the end of the sixth or seventh day after sowing the seed, which,
by keeping several boxes at work, would give to two or three scorbutic
patients nearly an ounce of salad each daily, even though the necessary
economy in our coals did not allow of the fire being kept in at night. Had
this been allowable, and a proper apparatus at hand for the purpose, there is
no doubt that it might have been raised much more rapidly : and those who
are aw^are how perfect a specific a very small quantity of fresh vegetable sub-
J
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 133
stance is for the scurvy, will, perhaps, agree with me in thinking that such an I82u.
apparatus would form a very valuable appendage to be applied occasionally ^!i^^'
to the cabin-stove. The mustard and cress thus raised were neces-
sarily colourless, from the privation of light, but, as far as we could judge,
they possessed the same pungent aromatic taste as if grown under ordi-
nary circumstances. So effectual were these remedies in Mr. Scallon's case,
that, on the ninth evening from the attack, he was able to walk about on
the lower deck for some time, and he assured me that he could then " run
a race."
On the morning of the 4th, a cross appeared about the moon, consisting of
vertical and horizontal rays of white light, similar to those described on the
2d, but unaccompanied by any halo. The thermometer was at —44° in the
early part of the day ; but the wind freshening to a strong breeze from the
northward, the temperature of the atmosphere was considerably raised, as
usual, the thermometer having got up to —36° at ten P.M. The temperature
of the holds in the fore-part of the ship was now generally as low as 22°,
that of the Hecla's lower-deck being seldom above 40°, except during the
ships' companies' meals.
The 7th of January was one of the most severe days to the feelings which Frid. 7.
we experienced during the winter, the wind being strong from the northward
with a heavy drift, and the thermometer continuing from —38° to —40°.
It is impossible to conceive any thing more inclement than such a day, when
we could with difficulty pass and repass between the two ships, and were
glad to keep every person closely confined on board.
At half-past five P.M., on the 8th, the Aurora Borealis was seen forming a Sat. 8.
broken and irregular arch of white light, 10° or 12° high in the centre, ex-
tending from N.b.W., round by W. to S.S.E. with occasional coruscations
proceeding from it towards the zenith. It continued thus for an hour, and
re-appeared from eight o'clock till midnight in a similar manner, making,
however, but a poor display of this beautiful phenomenon. Neither the mag-
netic needle, nor the gold-leaf of the electrometer, were, in either instance, in
the slightest degree affected by it.
7 At eight A.M. on the 11th, faint coruscations of the Aurora Borealis wereTues. ll.
hobserved to dart with inconceivable rapidity across the heavens from W.N.W.
to E.S.E., from horizon to horizon, and passing about 25° to the south of the
zenith. At noon to-day, the temperature of the atmosphere had got down
to 49° below zero, being the greatest degree of cold which we had yet
VOYAGE tOfe tHE DISCOVERY
1820. experienced ; but the weather being quite calm, we walked on shore for an
,^^IJ^' hour without inconvenience, the sensation of cold depending much more on
the degree of wind at the time, than on the absolute temperature of the at-
mosphere, as indicated by the thermometer. In several of the accounts
given of those countries in which an intense degree of natural cold is
experienced, some effects are attributed to it which certainly did not come
under our observation in the course of this winter. The first of these
is the dreadful sensation said to be produced on the lungs, causing them
to feel as if torn asunder, when the air is inhaled at a very low tem*
perature. No such sensation was ever experienced by us, though in going
from the cabins into the open air, and vice versa, we were constantly in the
habit for some months of undergoing a change of from 80° to 100°, and, in
several instances, 120° of temperature in less than one minute ; and what is
still more extraordinary, not a single inflammatory complaint, beyond a
slight cold which was cured by common care in a day or two, occurred
during this particular period. The second is, the vapour with which the
air of an inhabited room is charged, condensing into a shower of snow,
immediately on the opening of a door or window, communicating with
the external atmosphere. This goes much beyond any thing that we had an
opportunity of observing. What happened Math us was simply this; on
the opening of the doors at the top and bottom of our hatchway ladders,
the vapour was immediately condensed by the sudden admission of the
cold air, into a visible form, exactly resembling a very thick smoke, which
settled on all the pannels of the doors and bulk-heads, and immediately
froze, by which means the latter were covered with a thick coating of
ice which it was necessary frequently to scrape off; but we never, to
my knowledge, witnessed the conversion of the vapour into snow, during
its fall.
Sat. 15. On the evening of the 15th, the atmosphere being clear and serene, we
were gratified by a sight of the only very brilliant and diversified display of
Aurora Borealis, which occurred during the whole winter ; I believe it to be
almost impossible for words to give an idea of the beauty and variety which
this magnificent phenomenon displayed; I am at least certain, that no descrip-
tion of mine can convey an adequate conception of it, and I therefore gladly
avail myself of the following account, by Captain Sabine, which was furnished
bv my request at the time for insertion in my Journal.
" Mr. Edwards, from whom Tve first heard that the Aurora was visible,
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 135
described it as forming a complete arch, having its legs nearly north 1820.
and south of each other, and passing a little to the eastward of the zenith. ^^^^'
When I went upon the ice, the arch had broken up ; towards the southern
horizon was the ordinary Aurora, such as we had lately seen on clear nights,
being a pale light, apparently issuing from behind an obscure cloud, at from
six to twelve degrees of altitude, extending more or less towards the east or
west on different nights, and at different times of the same night, having no
determined centre or point of bisection, the greater part, and even at times
the whole of the luminous appearance being sometimes to the east, and some-
times to the west of south, but rarely seen in the northern horizon, or beyond
the east and west points of the heavens. This corresponds with the Aurora
most commonly noticed in Britain, except that it is there as peculiar to the
northern as here to the southern horizon, occasionally shooting upAvards in
rays and gleams of light. It was not distinguished by any unusual bril-
liancy or extent on this occasion, the splendid part of the phenomenon being
detached and apparently quite distinct.
" The luminous arch had broken into irregular masses, streaming with
much rapidity in different directions, varying continually in shape and in-
tensity, and extending themselves from north, by the east, to south. If the
surface of the heavens be supposed to be divided by a plane passing through
the meridian, the Aurora was confined, during the time I saw it, to the
eastern side of the plane, and was usually most vivid and in larger masses in
the E.S.E. than elsewhere. Mr. Parry and I noticed to each other, that
where the Aurora was very brilliant, the stars seen through it were somewhat
dimmed, though this remark is contrary to former experience.
" The distribution of light has been described as irregular and in constant
change ; the various masses, however, seemed to have a tendency to arrange
themselves into two arches, one passing near the zenith, and a second about
midway between the zenith and horizon, both having generally a north and
south direction, but curving towards each other, so that their legs produced
would complete an ellipse; these arches were as quickly dispersed as
formed. At one time a, part of the arch near the zenith was bent into con-
yolutions, resembling those of a snake in motion, and undulating rapidly ; an
appearance which we had not before observed. The end towards the north
was also bent like a shepherd's crook, which is not uncommon. It is diffi-
cult to compare the light produced by an Aurora with that of the moon,
because the shadows are rendered faint and indistinct by reaspn of the general
136 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
182a. diflfusion of the Aurora; but I should think the effect of the one now de-
v^;^^i^' scribed, scarcely equal to that of the moon when a week old. The usual
pale light of the Aurora strongly resembles that produced by the combustion
of phosphorus ; a very slight tinge of red was noticed on this occasion, when
the Aurora was most vivid, but no other colours were visible. Soon after we
returned on board, the splendid part wholly disappeared, leaving only the
ordinary light near the horizon ; in other respects, the night remained un-
changed, but on the following day it blew a fresh gale from the north
and N.N.W." This Aurora had the appearance of being very near us, and we
listened attentively for the sound which is said sometimes to accompany bril-
liant displays of this phenomenon, but neither on this nor on any other oc-
Sun. 16. casion, could any be distinguished. On the following day, the Aurora was
repeatedly seen for an hour or two together, assuming the shape of a long low
arch, from 3° to 12° high in the centre, extending from south to N.W.
About this time it had been remarked, that a white setter dog belonging
to Mr. Beverly had left the Griper for several nights past at the same
time, and had regularly returned after some hours' absence. As the day-
light increased, we had frequent opportunities of seeing him in company
with a she-wolf, with whom he kept up an almost daily intercourse for
several weeks, till at length he returned no more to the ships ; having either
lost his way by rambling to too great a distance, or what is more likely,
perhaps, been destroyed by the male wolves. Some time after, a large
dog of mine, which was also getting into the habit of occasionally remaining
absent for some time, returned on board a good deal lacerated and covered
with blood, having, no doubt, maintained a severe encounter with a male
wolf, whom we traced to a considerable distance by the tracks on the
snow. An old dog, of the Newfoundland breed, that we had on board the
Hecla, was also in the habit of remaining out with the wolves for a day
or two together; and we frequently watched them keeping company on the
most friendly terms.
Tues. 25. A wolf, which crossed the harbour close to the ships on the 25th, was ob-
served to be almost entirely white, his body long and extremely lean, stand-
ing higher on his legs than any of the Esquimaux dogs, but otherwise much
resembling them ; his tail was long and bushy, and always hanging between
his legs, and he kept his head very low in running. It is extraordinary that
we could never succeed in killing or catching one of these animals, though
we were, for months, almost constantly endeavouring to do so.
i
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 137
As the time was now near at hand when the sun was to re-appear above 1820.
our horizon, we began this day to look out for it from the mast-head, in order .^JilJ^'
that some observations might be made, as to the amount of the atmospherical
refraction, which might render it visible to us sooner than under ordinary cir-
cumstances. For this purpose, and at the same time to avoid the frost-bites
which might have occurred from keeping any individual at the mast-head
for too long a space, every man in the ship was sent up in succession, so as to
occupy the time for ten minutes before and after noon ; and this practice was
continued till the sun appeared above the horizon from the deck, which it did
not do till nine days after the commencement of it.
The loss of lemon-juice, of which I have before had occasion to speak, in
consequence of the breaking of the bottles by frost, continued still to take place
to so great a degree, that it now became absolutely necessary to adopt some
measures for providing against similar contingencies in future, and to pre-
serve the remainder ; I, therefore, consulted Mr. Edwards as to the propriety
of reducing the daily allowance of that essential article to three-quarters of
the usual proportion, being three-quarters of an ounce per man : this, he was
of opinion, under all circumstances, it was expedient to do, in order to ensure
a supply in those cases of a scorbutic nature which might hereafter occur ;
and this reduction was accordingly ordered in both ships.
At half-past ten P.M., a complete halo of pale light was observed round the Wed. 26.
moon, its radius being 22°.40, and a similar phenomenon occurred on the
following night, about the same time. These phenomena almost always
began to make their appearance about the time of full moon.
The weather was remarkably clear and fine on the 28th, and the sky beau-
tifully red to the southward ; but we looked for the sun from the mast-head
without success. Captain Sabine remarked at noon, that none of the fixed stars,
even of the first magnitude, could be seen by the naked eye ; Mars, however,
was plainly visible, by which some judgment may be formed of the power of
the sun's light at this period. Towards the end of January we began to open
some of our ports, in order to admit sufficient light for the carpenters and
armourers to work by, and these were employed in repairing the main-top-
sail-yard, that we might at least make some shew of commencing our re-equip-
ment for sea.
ABSTRACT of the METEOROLOGICAL JOURNAL kept on board His Majesty's Ship Hecla,
during the
Month of January, 1820.
Day
Temperature of Air
in shade.
Barometer.
Prevailing Winds.
Prevailing Weather.
Maxi-
mum.
Mini-
mam.
Mean.
Maxi.
Mini.
Mean.
1
o
—2
o
—28
—18.33
inches.
29.93
incli e
29.72
inclies.
29.812
S.S.E.
Strong breezes and clear weather.
2
-19
—29
—24.58
29.71
29.63
29.673
E.S.E.
Moderate and hazy weather.
3
—29
—42
—34.62
30.00
29.73
20.870
West to S.S.W.
Light variable airs.
4
—34
—44
-40.17
30.24
30.03
30.132
N.b.W.
Fresh breezes and fine clear weather.
5
—26
-35
—32.00
30.23
30.20
30.207
N.N.W.
Moderate and fine.
6
-22
—33
-28.58
30.16
30.09
30.119
N.N.W.
Light breezes and hazy, to fresh breezes and fine.
7
-32
—40
—37.67
30.10
30.03
30.068
N.N.W.
Fresh breezes and fine weather.
8
—33
-38
—35,83
30.11
29.87
_30.025
N.N.W.
Ditto with drift snow.
9
—33
-35
—34.42
30.31
30.10
30.220
W.N.W. to S.E.
Light airs and fine clear weather.
10
—32
—43
-36.17
30.35
30.34
30.345
S.E.
Ditto ditto.
11
—43
—46
—44.42
30.33
30.25
30.287
i A.M., Calm. >
i P.M., N.N.W. S
Fine weather.
P.M. Light airs and fine.
12
-42
-47
—44.71
30.24
30.10
30.168
N.N.W.
Light airs to strong breezes— fine weather.
13
—40.5
—17
—45.29
30.31
30.26
30.288
W.N.W.
Light breezes and fine.
14
—32
—40
—35.08
30.20
30.18
30.193
N.b.W.
Strong breezes :— much drift.
15
-34
-39
—35.73
30.51
30.20
30.335
East.
Light breezes and fine.
10
-34
—39
—37.08
30.77
30.65
30.701
N.N.E.
Ditto ditto.
17
-16
—34
—24.60
30.59
30.29
30.438
North.
Strong gales and hazy— heavy drift.
18
— 5
—15
—10.25
30.25
30.15
30.202
North.
5 A.M., Strong gales with heavy drift.
I P.M., More moderate.
19
— 8
— 2S
—17.50
30.25
30.19
30.223
South to N.W.
Light variable airs and hazy weather.
20
-10
—31
—24.46
30.13
po.io
30.117
East.
Light breezes and fine.
21
—16
—23
—19.00
30.09
30.01
30.008
North.
fA.M. Ditto ditto.
\ P.M. Fresh breezes with heavy drift.
22
-22
—29
—26.00
30.15
30.06
30.107
N.b.W.
Strong breezes with much drift.
23
—18
—26
—22.50
30.11
30.06
30.093
N.N.W.
Light breezes to strong breezes with heavy drift.
24
—20
—28
—24.83
29.87
29.59
29.695
N.NW.
Fresh gales and squally.
25
—23
—30
—26.42
29.69
29.66
29.677
North.
Moderate and fine.
26
-26
—36
—31.17
29.75
29.67
29.701
North. '
Fresh breezes to light breezes.
27
—32
-36
—33.96
29.90
29.75
29.827
North.
Ditto ditto.
28
—35
—39
—37.23
30.14
29.94
30 .055
N.b.W.
Light to strong breezes— clear weather.
29
—19
—33
—26.12
30.11
29.94
30.041
North.
Moderate and fine weather.
30
-19
—20
—19.58
29.93
29.90
29.907
North to W.N.W.
Light breezes and hazy.
31
-23
—28
—24.54
29.85
29.83
29.810
W.N.W. to East.
Light airs and hazy.
-
—47
—30.09
30.77
29.59
30.078
VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY. 139
On the 1st and 2d of February the weather was rather hazy, so that the 1820.
sun could not have been seen had it been above the horizon, but the 3d v^A^
was a beautifully clear and calm day. At eight A.M., a cross, consisting ofi'hurs. 3.
the usual vertical and horizontal rays, was seen about the moon. At twenty
minutes before apparent noon, the sun was seen from the Hecla's main-top, at
the height of fifty-one feet above the sea, being the first time that this
luminary had been visible to us since the 11th of November, a period of
eighty-four days, being twelve days less than the time of its remaining
actually beneath the horizon, independently of the effects of atmospherical
refraction. On ascending the main-top, 1 found the sun to be plainly visible
over the land to the south ; but at noon there was a dusky sort of cloud
hanging about the horizon, which prevented our seeing any thing like a
defined limb, so as to measure or estimate its altitude correctly. The sun
appeared, however, to be about half its diameter above the land, and the
top of the land was 4' 30" above the horizon of the sea, by which the
whole amount of refraction would appear to have been 1° 24! 04" ; in which
there is nothing very extraordinary in this latitude and low temperature ; that
of the atmosphere at this time was — 38°, and the mercury in the barometer
stood at 29.96 inches, the smoke from the fires on board rising quite perpendi-
cularly, which was not usually the case under similar circumstances. A vertical
column of pale red light extended from the upper part of the sun's disc to
about 3° of altitude ; its intensity was observed to be constantly varying,
being at times very bright, at others, scarcely perceptible. In these chano-es,
which were exceedingly rapid, it was not unlike the Aurora Borealis, the lio-ht
always appearing to shoot upwards, as is most usual in that phenomenon. The
breadth of this column, which was visible for about three-quarters of an hour
before and after noon, was equal to that of the sun's diameter, and it was
much the brightest next the sun. A similar column of light had also been
observed by Captain Sabine, at ten A.M., immediately over the spot where
the sun was.
On several occasions, in the course of the winter, there was an appear-
ance in the southern horizon very much resembling land at a great distance.
This appearance was to-day unusually well defined, and seemed to terminate
in a very abrupt and decided manner, on a S. b. E. bearing from Winter
Harbour.
At six P.M. the Aurora Borealis appeared very faintly in a horizontal line
140 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1820. of white light, extending from S. to S.S.W., and about 5° above the horizon,
v.^.^-^ From nine to eleven, it was again seen quite stationary, and very faint, from
S.S.W. to W.N.W., at three or four degrees of altitude.
Captain Sabine had, for some time past, kept one of the needles used for
determining the intensity of the magnetic force, suspended by a silk thread
in the observatory, for the purpose of remarking more satisfactorily than it
could be done on board the ships, whether any effect was produced upon it
by the Aurora Borealis. It might be supposed that, in these regions, where
the directive power of the needle had almost entirely ceased, it would be
more easily disturbed by any adventitious cause, than in those parts of the
globe where the directive energy was greater ; but we never could perceive
the slightest derangement to be produced in it by the Aurora.
Frid. 4. On the 4ith we had another sight of the sun, which was so distorted by
refraction, that nothing like a circular disk could at any time be distinguished.
At noon a thermometer, plunged into a bank of snow to the depth of two
feet, indicated the temperature of — 12°, that of the atmosphere being
— 38°. The temperature of the sea-water was 29° in the fire-hole alongside
the Hecla, and that of her holds varied from 25° to 22°, the aftermost being
progressively the warmest. There was to-day an unusual kind of mist in the
lower part of the atmosphere, which was at times so thick, that the ships
could scarcely be seen at the distance of two miles. It was a matter of
frequent remark with us, that, even on the clearest winter days of this
climate, there was usually a considerable deposit of very light snow, which
was scarcely perceptible, except when interposed between the eye and any
dark object, or by the quantity of it which settled on any instrument left to
stand in the open air : nor do 1 think that the heavenly bodies were ever so
clearly visible as they are on a winter's night in England.
Mon. 7. At noon on the 7th, we had the first clear view of the sun which we had
yet enjoyed since its re-appearance above our horizon, and an indistinct
parhelion, or mock sun, slightly prismatic, was seen on the eastern side of
it, at the distance of 22°.
There was now sufficient day-light, from eight o'clock till four to enable
us to perform, with great facility, any work outside the ships. 1 was not
sorry, therefore, to commence upon some of the occupations more immediately
connected with the equipment of the ships for sea, than those to which we
had hitherto been obliged to have recourse as mere employment. We,
therefore, began this day to collect stones for ballast, of which it was calcu-
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 141
lated that the Hecla would require, in the spring, nearly seventy tons, besides 1820.
twenty tons of additional water, to make up for the loss of weight by the ^^
expenditure of provisions and stores. These stones were brought down on
sledges about half a mile to the beach, where they were broken into a con-
venient size for stowage, and then weighed in scales, erected on the beach
for the purpose ; thus affording to the men a considerable quantity of bodily
exercise, whenever the weather would permit them to be so employed.
As we were now, however, approaching the coldest part of the season, it
became more essential than ever to use the utmost caution in allowing the
men to remain for any length of time in the open air, on account of the injury
to their general health, which was likely to result from the inactivity requisite
to the cure of some of the most trifling frost-bites. Mr. Edwards has favoured
me with the following brief account of such cases of this nature as occurred
on board the Hecla: — " The majority of the men who came into the sick-list,
in consequence of frost-injuries during the severity of the winter, suffered
mostly in their feet, and especially in their great toes ; and, although none
of them were so unfortunate as to lose a toe, yet few cures were effected
without the loss of the nail and cuticle, in which the vital power was inva
riably destroyed. The exfoliation of these dead parts was always slow, and
often attended with small ulcerations at the extremity of the toe. The com-
paratively languid action which is always going on in the feet, owing to their
dependent situation, and their remoteness from the centre of circulation, is
much increased by the rigour of so severe a climate, and also by the state of
inactivity in which it is necessary to keep the patient ; so that these trifling
sores were found to heal with extreme difficulty. Occasional neglio-ence and
irregularities in the patients also served at times to protract the cure. It may
further be observed, that the ulcerations alluded to seldom took place, even
in some of the more severe cases, when circumstances would allow of timely
attention being paid to them."
On the 8th, at noon, and for half an hour after, an appearance presented Tues.8.
itself in the heavens, which we had not before observed. A thin fleecy
cloud of a pale-red colour, and shaped like part of an arch, commenced
pretty strongly from the top of the land in the N.W., and ran more and more
faintly to N.b.W., beyond which it could no longer be traced : it was here
fifteen degrees above the northern horizon. On looking for a continuation of it
in the opposite quarter of the heavens, we perceived a larger portion of another
and fainter arch, of pale, red, or orange, commencing at the horizon in the
14^ VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1820. E.b.N., and extending to 60° of altitude in the N.N.E., so as evidently not
s,^^^ to form a part of the western arch. Captain Sabine afterwards observed
the whole phenomenon to alter its position, the leg of the eastern arch
shifting considerably more to the southward. In the evening the Aurora
Borealis was seen, forming a confused and irregular arch of white light, con-
tinually varying in brightness, about 8° high in the centre, and extending
from S.b.E., round by the west, to N.N.W. From the upper part of this arch,
coruscations occasionally shot upwards, and a few streamers now and then
burst forth also from the horizon in the S.S.E. ; these latter went nearly up
to the zenith, while the rest were more faint, and did not reach so high.
I am confident, that Aldebaran and the Pleiades were very sensibly dimmed
by the most vivid of the coruscations, which appeared, in this respect,
not to differ from any thin vapour or cloud floating in the atmosphere.
The gold leaf of the electrometer, as well as the magnetic needle suspended
in the observatory, was carefully attended to, but neither of them suf-
fered any sensible disturbance.
Wed. 9. . Early on the following morning, the wind increased from the N.N.W., and
continued to blow a strong breeze from that quarter, with a heavy snow-drift,
Thur, 10. till towards noon, on the 10th. At a quarter past six P.M., on that day, the
Aurora began to appear in the south and S.W., in detached, and not very
brilliant pencils of rays darting upwards from near the horizon. Soon after,
an arch of the usual broken and irregular kind appeared in the western
quarter of the heavens, extending from N.W. to south, and being from 5°
to 8° high in the centre. From the upper part of the arch proceeded a few
faint coruscations reaching to no great height. At a quarter before seven,
a second and better-defined arch crossed over from S.E. to N.W.b.N.,
passing on the northern side of the zenith, from which it was distant from
10° to 15° in the centre. This arch was very narrow, and seemed to be
formed of two parts, each shooting with great rapidity from those parts where
the legs stood, and joining in the centre. In a short time this second arch en-
tirely disappeared, and the first became less brilliant. The phenomenon
was then for some minutes confined to some bright pencils of rays in the
south and S.S.E. , which were generally parallel to each other, but sometimes
also diverged at an angle of about 15°. At a quarter past seven, two long
and narrow streams of light crossed over at 35° to 40° of altitude, on the
western side of the zenith, from the N.W.b.N., and south points of the
horizon ; their upper e^rids did not quite meet in the centre, so as to complete
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 143
an arch, but inclined to the shape of shepherds' crooks, as described on I820.
the 15th of January, and often remarked by former observers ; but they .^J^
were neither so brilliant nor so well-defined as when we saw them before.
About a quarter before eight, as we were returning on board from the
observatory, the low arch to the westward first described, and which
had never altogether disappeared, increased considerably in brilliancy.
It was still, however, so irregular as to appear in detached roundish
clouds or blotches, from which the pencils, which shot upwards, appeared
immediately to proceed. These pencils, which were infinitely varied
both in length and breadth, were observed to have also a slow, though very
sensible lateral motion from north to south, and vice versa ; and we remarked
on one occasion that, when two of them met, and had the appearance of over-
lapping, they produced, for about fifteen seconds, the most intense degree
of light we had yet seen from the Aurora. The pencils appeared generally
to travel bodily in one direction, but sometimes to widen out in both at the
same time. We were all decidedly of opinion, that the fixed stars were
very perceptibly duumed by this phenomenon, which gradually disappeared
by nine o'clock.
It was a source of much satisfaction to find, at noon to-day, that the sun, Frid. U.
even with one degree of meridian altitude, had some power to affect the
mercury in the thermometer, which rose from —40° to —35° when exposed to
its rays ; and, as the sun gradually declined, it fell again to —40° in an
hour or two.
The distance at which sounds were heard in the open air, during the
continuance of intense cold, was so great as constantly to aftbrd matter of
surprise to us, notwithstanding the frequency with which we had occasion to
remark it. We have, for instance, often heard people distinctly conversing,
in a common tone of voice, at the distance of a mile ; and to-day I heard a man
singing to himself as he walked along the beach, at even a greater distance
than this. Another circumstance also occurred to-day, which may perhaps
be considered worthy of notice. Lieutenant Beechey, and Messrs. Beverly
and Fisher, in the course of a walk which led them to a part of the harbour,
about two miles directly to leeward of the ships, were surprised by suddenly
perceiving a smell of smoke, so strong as even to impede their breathing, till,
by walking on a little farther, they got rid of it. This circumstance shews to
what a distance the smoke from the ships was carried horizontally, owing
to the difficulty with which it rises at a very low temperature of the at-
144 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1820. mosphere. The appearance which had often been taken for the loom of
v^^-v-sl/ distant and much refracted land in the south and S.b.E., was again seen
to-day, having the same abrupt termination at tlie latter bearing as before.
At half-past eight P.M., the Aurora Borealis made its appearance for a short
time, in an arch, very irregular, but at times very bright, from S.W. to S.S.E.,
at 4° or 5° above the horizon in the centre.
Sat. 12. It may perhaps be attributed to the long absence of the sun which we
had lately experienced, and which may have disqualified us from forming a
correct judgment, that we considered the orange and lake tints with which
the sky was painted about this period, for two hours before and after noon,
to be more rich and beautiful than any thing of the kind we had ever before
seen. The few fleecy clouds which at any time make their appearance in
the heavens during the winter-months of this climate, had to-day, as before
observed on the Sth, a tendency to form arches both in the northern and
southern quarters, extending from east to west, at 10° of altitude in the north,
and 5° or 6° in the south. A thermometer placed in the sun at noon rose
quickly from —42° to — 30|° on board, the temperature of the atmosphere at
the house being 45°, and the weather calm and clear.
Sun. 13. At three A.M., on the 13th, on a light breeze springing up from the
southward, the thermometer was observed to rise immediately from —40° to
— 37°. For a short time before and after noon, a parhelion was seen at the
angular distance of 22° 30' on each side of the sun, at the same altitude
Avith the latter ; these parhelia were of a confused shape, but strongly pris-
matic. There was at the same time, also, a column of bright yellow light
proceeding from the sun to the horizon, of the same diameter as that
object.
Mod. 14. I have before remarked, that, in consequence of a comparatively wann at-
mosphere which was always floating around the ships, the thermometer on
board, by which the temperature was noted every two hours, usually stood
from 2° to 5° higher than that fixed on shore, in consequence of which cir-
cumstance, the whole of the temperatures, in our Meteorological Journals,
may be taken at least 2° or 3° lower than those actually registered, except in
a few instances, which are there expressly noticed. The temperature of the
atmosphere having now fallen below the usual standard, it became interest-
ing to watch this difference more minutely, and at six A.M., on the 14th, the
thermometer at the house was at —52°, that on board being at —48°, at
which time the smoke from the funnels rose very freely, with the mercury
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 145
in the barometer standing at 29.53 inches. This additional decrease in the 1820.
temperature of the atmosphere caused a repetition of that cracking of the v.*-v^
ship's timbers which had before occurred, but which had ceased for some time
past. At noon the thermometer in the shade rose one degree, and at two
P.M., fell again to -52°.
Two of the Hecla's marines having been guilty of drunkenness the pre-
ceding night, an offence which, under any circumstances, it was my duty to
prevent, but which, if permitted to pass unnoticed, might, in our present
situation, have been attended with the most serious consequences to our
health as well as our discipline, I was under the necessity of punishing them
this morning with thirty-six lashes each ; being the first occasion on which I
had considered it necessary to inflict corporal punishment during thirteen
months that the Hecla had been in commission, a fact which I have much
satisfaction in recording, as extremely creditable to her crew.
From four P.M. on the 14-th, till half-past seven on the following morning, Tues. i5.
being an interval of fifteen hours and a half, during which time the weather
was clear and nearly calm, a thermometer fixed on a pole, between the ships
and the shore, never rose above —54°, and was once during that interval,
namely, at six in the morning, as low as —55°. This low temperature might,
perhaps, have continued much longer, but for a light breeze which sprung
up from the northward, immediately on which the thermometer rose to —49°,
and continued still to rise during the day, till at midnight it had reached
— 34°. During the lowest temperature above mentioned, which was the most
intense degree of cold, marked by the spirit thermometer, during our stay in
Winter Harbour, not the slightest inconvenience was suffered from exposure
to the open air, by a person well clothed, as long as the weather was per-
fectly calm ; but, in walking against a very light air of wind, a smarting
sensation was experienced all over the face, accompanied by a pain in the
middle of the forehead, which soon became rather severe. We amused our-
selves in freezing some mercury during the continuance of this cold weather,
and, by beating it out on an anvil, previously reduced to the temperature of
the atmosphere ; it didi not appear to be very malleable when in this state,
usually breaking after two or three blows from the hammer.
The increased length of the day, and the cheering presence of the sun for
several hours above the horizon, induced me, notwithstanding the severity of
the weather, to open the dead-lights of my stern-windows, in order to admit
the day-light, of which, in our occupations below, we had entirely been
u
14fi VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1820. deprived for more than four months. I had soon, however, occasion to find
Febr.
that this change was rather premature, and that I had not rightly calculated
on the length of the winter in Melville Island. The Hecla was fitted with
double windows in her stern, the interval between the two sashes being
about two feet ; and within these some curtains of baize had been nailed
close, in the early part of the winter. On endeavouring now to remove the
curtains, they were found to be so strongly cemented to the windows by the
frozen vapour collected between them, that it was necessary to cut them off,
in order to open the windows ; and from the space between the double sashes
we removed more than twelve large buckets full of ice, or frozen vapour,
which had accumulated in the same manner.
Wed. 16. About noon, on the 16th, a parhelion faintly prismatic, appeared on each
side of the sun, continuing only for half an hour. Notwithstanding the low
temperature of the external atmosphere, the officers contrived to act, as usual,
the play announced for this evening ; but, it must be confessed that it was
almost too cold for either the actors or the audience to enjoy it, especially
for those of the former who undertook to appear in female dresses. We were
fortunate, however, in having the weather moderate as to wind, during our
performance ; for, on its freshening up soon after to a strong gale from the
N.W., which, together with a heavy snow-drift, continued the whole of the
Thur. 17. following day, the thermometer did not rise higher than —36°; a change
that made the Hecla colder in every part below than she had ever been
before. The temperature of the lower deck now fell to + 34° for the greater
part of the day, that of the coal-hole to + 15°, of the spirit-room to -I- 23°, and
of my cabin, as low as +7° during the night, by which the chronometers,
Nos. 25 and 369, of Arnold were stopped. Much as I regretted this cir-
cumstance, it was impossible to prevent it without such an increase in
the quantity of fuel as our resources, when calculating upon the chances of
spending another winter in these regions, would by no means admit.
Captain Sabine and myself, therefore, agreed, that it was better to let
these watches remain down, during the continuance of the severe cold, which
was accordingly done.
The intense cold now experienced on board the Hecla, seems to have
arisen principally from my having prematurely uncovered the stern win-
dows, which I had been induced to do, not less from the impatience which
I felt to enjoy the cheering rays of the sun for eight hours of the
day, than on account of the saving of candles, the expenditure of which
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 147
had hitherto been much greater than we could well afford. In the constant
hope that each succeeding day would produce some amendment in the
weather, we endeavoured contentedly to put up with the cold, which, how-
ever, continued to be so intense in the cabin for several weeks after this,
that it was impossible to sit there without being warmly wrapped up ; and
it was not uncommon for us, at this period, to reverse the usual order of
things, by throwing off our great coats when we went on deck to warm our-
selves by exercise (the only mode we had of doing so), and immediately re-
suming them on coming below. On many of these occasions I have seen a
thermometer placed at our feet, standing the whole day under -t- 19°, and
sometimes lower, while another, suspended in the upper part of the cabin
would, at the same time, indicate 32° or 34°, but seldom higher than this. We
had, about this time, two cases of lumbago and one of diarrhoea added to
the sick list, which Mr. Edwards considered to have been brought on by the
coldness of the decks below ; in one of these cases, some scorbutic symptoms
subsequently appeared, which yielded without much difficulty to the usual
remedies. Mr. Scallon had, before this time, completely recovered. The
bed-places continuing very troublesome, from the accumulation of ice in
them, several of the men were ordered to sleep in hammocks, which are
much more warm and comfortable ; but they had been so long accustomed to
the bed-plaCes, that there was, in this respect, a good deal of prejudice to
overcome among them.
At half-past ten P.M. on the 19th, the Aurora Borealis was seen, as Sat. 19,
described by Lieutenant Beechey, " in bright coruscations, shooting prin-
cipally from the S.b.W. quarter across the zenith to N.N.E., and partially
in every part of the heavens. The light, when most vivid, was of a pale
yellow, at other times white, excepting to the southward, in which direction
a dull red tinge was now and then perceptible. The coruscations had a
tremulous waving motion, and most of them were crooked towards the E.N.E.
The fresh gale which blew at the time from the N.N.E., appeared to have
no effect on the Aurora, which, as before observed, streamed directly to
windward, and this with great velocity. The brighter part of this meteor
dimmed whatever stars it passed over, even those of the first magnitude ;
and those of the second and third magnitude, so much as to render them
scarcely visible. The wind blew too strong for the electrometer to be used,
but Kater's compass was not in the slightest degree affected. The whole of
the phenomenon disappeared in about three quarters of an hour."
14.8 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
jg2o On the 22d, the weather was fine and clear, and though the thermometer
Febr. continued from — 34° to — 36° in the shade, and only rose to — 23|° in the
Tues. 22. sun at two P.M., the walking was unusually pleasant to our feelings. With
our present temperature, the breath of a person, at a little distance, looked
exactly like the smoke of a musket just fired, and that of a party of men
employed upon the ice to-day resembled a thick white cloud.
Thur. 24. The weather was still fine and clear overhead on the 24th, but there being
a moderate breeze from the northward which raised a little snow-drift, with
the thennometer from — 43° to — 44° during the day, it was very severe in
the open air. At a quarter past ten, while the men were running round the
decks for exercise, and were on that account fortunately well-clothed, the
house on shore was discovered to be on fire. All the officers, and men of
both ships, instantly ran up to extinguish it ; and having, by great exertion,
pulled ofi' the roof with ropes, and knocked down a part of the sides, so as
to allow snow to be thrown upon the flames, we succeeded in getting it
under, after three quarters of an hour, and fortunately before the fire had
reached that end of the house where the two clocks, together with the transit,
and other valuable instruments, were standing in their cases. Having removed
these, and covered the ruins with snow, to prevent any remains of fire from
breaking out again, we returned on board till more temperate weather should
enable us to dig out the rest of the things, among which nothing of any
material consequence was subsequently found to have suflfered injury ; and,
having mustered the ships' companies to see that they had put on dry clothes
before going to dinner, they were employed during the rest of the day in
drying those which had been wet. The appearance which our faces pre-
sented at the fire was a curious one, almost every nose and cheek having
become quite white with frost-bites in five minutes after being exposed to the
weather; so that it was deemed necessary for the medical gentlemen, together
with some others appointed to assist them, to go constantly round, while the
men were working at the fire, and to rub with snow the parts affected, in
order to restore animation. Notwithstanding this precaution, which, how-
ever, saved many frost-bites, we had an addition of no less than sixteen
men to the sick-lists of both ships in consequence of this accident. Among
these there were four or five cases which kept the patients confined for
several weeks ; but John Smith, of the artillery, who was Captain Sabine's
servant, and who, together with Serjeant Martin, happened to be in the house
at the time the fire broke out, was unfortunate enough to suffer much more
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 149
severely. In their anxiety to save the dipping-needle, which was standing i820.
close to the stove, and of which they knew the value, they immediately ran ^'^'""•
out with it ; and Smith, not having time to put on his gloves, had his fingers
in half an hour so benumbed, and the animation so completely suspended, that
on his being taken on board by Mr. Edwards, and having his hands plunged,
into a basin of cold water, the surface of the water was immediately frozen
by the intense cold thus suddenly communicated to it ; and, notwithstanding
the most humane and unremitting attention paid to them by the medical gen-
tlemen, it was found necessary, some time after, to resort to the amputation
of a part of four fingers on one hand and three on the other.
ABSTRACT of the METEOROLOGICAL JOURNAL kept on board His Majesty's Ship Hecla,
during th
e Month oi February, 1820.
Day
Temperature of Air
in shade.
Barometer.
Prevailing Winds.
Prerailing Weather.
Maxi-
Mini-
mum.
Mean.
Maxi-
Mini.
Mean.
1
-f7
-2%
- 20.87
inclies.
29.88
inclies.
29.82
inches.
29.850
S.b.E.
Light breezes and hazy.
2
27
38
31.75
29.92
29.88
29.902
S.E.
Ditto ditto.
3
35
44
39.58
30.01
29.92
29.963
Round the Compass.
Ditto and fine clear weather.
4
37
44.5
39.96
30.02
29.97
30.005
N.N.W.
Light airs to fresh breezes.
5
20
37
29.12
29.89
29.75
29.817
N.N.W.
Moderate and hazy.
6
18
23
20.71
29.69
29.64
29.602
W.b.N.
Light breezes and hazy.
7
20
30
24.62
29.75
29.75
29.750
W.N.W.
Light breezes and fine.
8
27
32
28.92
29.81
29.75
29.785
Bound the compass.
Light airs and fine.
9
23
28
25.83
29.68
29.57
29.612
North.
Fresh breezes and hazy with drift.
10
26
40
31.62
29.64
29.50
29.565
North.
Strong breezes— P.M. moderate.
11
38
42
39.77
29.70
29.47
29.605
N.N.W.
Light airs and fine clear weather.
12
39
44
42.00
29.34
29.32
29.330
Calm.
Fine clear weather.
13
37
46.5
41.58
29.15
29.32
29.388
North to E.S.E.
Light airs and hazy.
14
38
48
40.33
29.69
29.53
29.627
West
Light winds and very fine weather.
15
32
50
40.92
29.75
29.69
29.720
North.
Ditto ditto.
16
29
36
32.33
30.02
29.75
29.887
N.N.W.
Ditto and hazy weather.
17
26
39
33.42
30.08
30.04
30.053
N.N.W.
Fresh gales and heavy drift.
18
21
28
26.25
29.96
29.87
29.920
N.N.W.
Ditto ditto.
19
19
24
21.04
29.77
29.60
29.698
North.
Ditto. ditto
20
23
26
24.08
29.58
29.53
29.555
North.
Fresh breezes with drift.
21
25
37
30.25
29.80
29.59
29.721
North.
Moderate and fine.
22
34
41
36.58
29.93
29.83
29.906
East.
Light breezes and fine.
23
35
41
37.67
29.93
29.89
29.908
N.b.W.
Moderate and fine.
21
39
43
40.92
29.99
29.91
29.957
N.b.W.
Ditto. ditto
25
30
38.5
34.54
29.82
29.72
29.755
N.N.W.
Strong breezes with heavy drift.
26
20
29
26.33
29.72
29.70
29.708
N.N.W.
Ditto. ditto.
27
24
32
27.75
29.73
29.67
29.700
North
Fresh breezes and fine.
28
25
32
29.08
29.97
29.75
29.872
North to W.b.S.
Ditto ditto.
29
27
37
29.07
30.15
30.02
30.100
N.N.W.
Moderate and fine clear weather.
-17
50
- 32.19
30.15
29.32
29.769
Remark.— The mini
from the ships, was -5
registered on board, aris
On the 14th and 15th o
above— 50O for seventee
mum temperatnre for February, as taken at a distance
5°, tlie dilference between this and the temperature
ng from the warm atmosphere produced by the fires,
f February, a thermometer upon the ice did not rise
jx successive hours.
151
CHAPTER VII.
MORE TEMPERATE WEATHER — HOUSE RE-BUILT — QUANTITY OF ICE COL-
LECTED ON THE HECLa's LOWER DECK — METEOROLOGICAL PHENOMENAL-
CONCLUSION OF THEATRICAL ENTERTAINMENTS INCREASED SICKNESS
ON BOARD THE GRIPER CLOTHES FIRST DRIED IN THE OPEN AIR
REMARKABLE HALOS AND PARHELIA — SNOW BLINDNESS — CUTTING THE
ICE ROUND THE SHIPS, AND OTHER OCCURRENCES TO THE CLOSE OF
MAY.
JjEFORE sun-rise, on the morning of the 1st of March, Lieutenant Beechey j^^rdi
remarked so much bright red light near the south-eastern horizon, that he ^^^~^
constantly thought the sun was rising, nearly half an hour before it actually
appeared ; there was a column of light above the sun, similar to those which
we had before seen. The day being clear and moderate, a party of men was
employed in digging out the things which were buried in the ruins ; the
clocks were removed on board for examination, and preparations were made
to rebuild the house for their reception. Some of our gentlemen who walked
to the south-west during the day, observed the snow, in certain parts which
were exposed to the sun, to be glazed, so as to be very slippery, as if
a partial thaw had taken place. It is, perhaps, requisite to have expe-
rienced the anxiety with which we were now beginning to look for some
favourable change in the temperature of the atmosphere, to conceive the
eagerness with which this information was received, and the importance
attached to it in our minds, as the first faint indication of the dissolution of
the winter's snow. In the evening the wind freshened from the southward,
and before midnight had increased to a strong gale, which is very unusual
from that quarter.
The thermometer rose very gradually with the wind which blew strong for Thurs. 2.
152 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1820. several hours during the night, but entirely died away between eight and
v^^^ nine A.M. on the 2d. At nine o'clock a parhelion appeared on each side of
the sun, at the angular distance of 21° 3 ', that on the eastern side being bright
and prismatic, the other indistinct at first, but becoming as clear as the other
as the sun rose higher. They were not seen after ten o'clock until half past
one P.M., when they re-appeared for a short time, at the distance of 22°.
About two P.M. a very thick kind of haze, or fog, came on, which obscured
objects at a mile's distance, and at times much nearer. By us, who anxiously
caught at any thing which could be construed into a favourable indication,
this fog was hailed with pleasure, as a symptom of returning moisture in
the atmosphere.
Sat. 4. On the 4th there were more clouds in the atmosphere, and they were harder
and better defined about the edges, than they had been before during the
winter: a thermometer in the shade seemed now also to be more affected by the
general influence of the sun's rays upon the atmosphere, rising from — 30° to
- 24° at noon. At half past eleven A.M. a halo appeared round the sun, at
the distance of 22°. 17 from it, consisting of a circle nearly complete, and
strongly prismatic. Three parhelia, or mock suns, were distinctly seen upon
this circle ; the first being directly over the sun, and one on each side of it,
at its own altitude. The prismatic tints were much more brilliant in the
parhelia than in any other part of the circle ; but red, yellow, and blue, were
the only colours which could be traced, the first of these being invariably
next the sun in all the phenomena of this kind which came under our observa-
tion. From the sun itself several rays of white light, continuous but not very
brilliant, extended in various directions beyond the halo, and these rays were
more bright after they had passed through the circle, than they were in the
part within it: this phenomenon continued for nearly two hours. The
Aurora Borealis was seen faintly near the S.S.W. horizon, for three or four
hours before midnight.
Sun, 5. The 5th of March was the most mild and pleasant day we had experienced
for several weeks, a light breeze springing up from the southward and east-
ward, having raised the thermometer gradually from — 26° at four A.M., to
— 15° at noon : and, after divine service had been performed, almost all the
• officers and men in both ships were glad to take advantage of it, by enjoying I
a long walk upon the neighbouring hills. The weather had been hazy, with']
light snow and some clouds in the morning; but the latter gradually dis-
persed after noon, aflbrding us the first day to which we could attach the ideaj
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 153
of spring. As soon as the clouds had allowed the sun to come out, a parhelion 1820.
appeared on each side of it at the same altitude ; that to tlie westward, which \J:^
Avas seen on a thick dark cloud, being bright and prismatic ; the other, ap-
pearing on the blue sky, being scarcely perceptible. A ray of bright yellow
light extended horizontally about 3° or 4° on each side of the parhelia, and
also a stripe of prismatic colours from each of them to the horizon. Both these
were probably parts of the circles which are frequently seen to accompany
these phenomena, and at the intersection of which the parhelia usually
appear.
On the 6th, at eight A.M., the thermometer had got up to zero, being the Mon. 6.
first time we had registered so high a temperature since the 17th of the pre-
ceding December. The wind veered gradually from S.S.E., round by west, to
north, and at night was remarkably variable and squally, frequently changing,
almost instantly, from north to west, and vice versa ; sometimes being so light
as not to extinguish a naked candle at the gangway, and at others blowing a
strong breeze. Squalls of this kind we had not observed before, nor did they
occur on any other occasion ; we could not perceive any alteration in the
thermometer while they lasted.
We continued to enjoy the same temperate and enlivening weather on Tues. 7.
the 7th, and now began to flatter ourselves in earnest, that the season had
taken that favourable change for which we had so long been looking Avith
extreme anxiety and impatience. This hope was much strengthened by a
circumstance which occurred to day, and Avhich, trifling as it would have ap-
peared in any other situation than ours, was to us a matter of no small interest
and satisfaction. This was no other than the thawing of a small quantity of
snoAV in a favourable situation upon the black paint work of the ship's stern,
which exactly faced the south, being the first time that such an event had oc-
curred for more than five months. The thermometer at this time stood at
-f- 35° in the sun, but no appearance of thawing took place, except in the
situation described, and even there, upon the yellow paint the snoAV re^
mained as hard as before. We could perceive, from the top of the north'
eastern hill of the harbour, from which we had the most extensive vicAv
to the south and east, that a line of hummocks had been thrown up to
a considerable height upon the ice, at the distance of six or seven miles from
the land, and in a direction nearly parallel to it. It Avas here probably that
the junction of the old and " young" floes had taken place in the autumn, the
space betAveen the line of hummocks and the land being occupied by the ice
5
^4 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1820. which this winter had produced, and by the breaking up or dissolution of
^.J^!^ which we could alone hope to proceed on our voyage.
Advantage was taken of the present mild and pleasant weather, to rebuild the
house on shore, which was completed in a few days, when the clocks were re-
placed in it, in readiness for Captain Sabine to begin his experiments on the
pendulum, whenever the season would permit. The observations which we had
been enabled to make during the winter were principally confined to lunar dis-
tances, and to the altitudes of stars for deducing the apparent time. It was
our earnest desire to have obtained a series of observations on the zenith
distances of certain stars, in order to determine the amount of atmospherical
refraction in these latitudes during the winter season. The only instrument
in our possession, however, which was adapted to this purpose was the re-
peating circle, of which we were unfortunately precluded the use by a number
of ^circumstances not previously anticipated, and which indeed could not
easily have occurred to the minds of those accustomed only to make obser-
vations in more temperate climates. A particular account of these difficulties
being given in another place by Captain Sabine, whose unremitted attention
was for some time devoted to the means of overcoming them, I shall only here
mention genemlly, that the principal of them arose from the unequal con-
traction of the brass and iron, and from the freezing of the oil, by which the
instrument was so set fast as to make it impossible to turn it in azimuth ; also,
from the extreme contraction of the spirits, leaving no bubble by which the
level could be read. With respect to the experiments on the pendulum, it
was on every account considered advisable to wait for the return of spring,
rather than to attempt observations requiring such minuteness, and so uniform
a temperature, at a time when the very touch of instruments was painful,
and when no observation could be made in the open air, without carefully
holding the breath.
Wed. 8. The severe weather which, until the last two or three days, we had expe-
rienced for a length of time, had been the means of keeping in a solid state
all the vapour which had accumulated and frozen upon the ships' sides on the
lower deck. As long as it continued in this state, it did not prove a source
of annoyance, especially as it had no communication with the bed-places.
On the contrary, indeed, I had imagined, whether justly or otherwise I
know not, that a lining of this kind rather did good than harm, by preventing
the escape of a certain portion of the warmth through the ships' sides. The
late mildness of the weather, however, having caused a thaw to take place
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 155
below, it now became necessary immediately to scrape off the coating of ice ;
and it will, perhaps, be scarcely credited that we this day removed above one
hundred buckets full, each containing from five to six gallons, being the
accumulation which had taken place in an interval of less than four weeks.
It may be observed, that this vapour must principally have been produced
from the men's breath, and from the steam of their victuals during meals, that
from the coppers being effectually carried on deck by the screen which I have
before mentioned.
James Richardson, a seaman of the Hecla, one of the inen who had
been attacked by lumbago a short time before, now evinced some symptoms
of scurvy, and was, therefore, immediately put on the anti-scorbutic diet.
About this time, also, John Ludlow, boatswain's-mate of the Griper, and
William Wright, seaman of the Hecla, were attacked in a similar manner ; and
these two cases subsequently proved the worst of this nature on board the ships.
Immediately on the appearance of any complaint among the men, and especially
when the symptoms were in the slightest degree scorbutic, the patients were
removed to the sick-bay, where the bed-places were larger land more conve-
nient, and where a separate stove was fixed when necessary, so as to make it
a warm and comfortable place, apart from the rest of the ships' company.
From ten till eleven A.M. this day, a halo and three parhelia were seen
about the sun, in every respect similar to those described on the 4th. About
one P.M., there being a fresh breeze from the northward, with some snow-
drift, the parhelia re-appeared, being mucii; more bright and prismatic than
in the forenoon, and accompanied by the usual halo, which was nearly com-
plete, and whose radius measured 22|°. The parhelia a, a, in the annexed
figure, on each side of the sun, were at times so bright as to be painful to
the eye in looking steadfastly at them. When they were brightest, the light
was nearly white, and this generally occurred when the wind was most mo-
derate, and when there was consequently less snow-drift. When, on the
other hand, the wind and drift increased, they became of a deeper tint, but the
red and a pale yellow were the only distinguishable colours, the former being
as usual, next the sun. These parhelia were much better resemblances of the
sun than any we had seen before, being smaller, more compact and circular,
and better defined about their edges, than usual, approaching, in every respect,
nearer to that appearance of the sun's disk, which has obtained for them the
name of mock-suns. The parhelion b, over the sun was never very bright, and
the circle of the halo was but faintly tinged with the prismatic colours. Part
156
1820.
March.
VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
of a horizontal circle of pale white light passed through the sun's disk, and
across the two lower parhelia, being much more bright without than within
them. By looking at the sun through a coloured glass, a column of light was
seen under it, as often observed before. The brightness of the whole phe-
nomenon varied every instant, on account of the snoAV-drift.
When this phenomenon had continued about an hour and a half, we per-
ceived a segment of another circle above the first, and inverted with regard to
it, as at c, its centre being somewhere near the zenith. The distance from the
sun to c was about 54°, as nearly as the indistinctness of the latter would
allow of its being measured. The whole disappeared in two hours and a half
from its commencement, during which time, the thermometer was from — 16°
to — 20°, and the weather fine and clear over head. From nine P.M., till
midnight, the Aurora Borealis appeared faintly in the horizon to the south,
occasionally streaming towards the zenith in coruscations of pale white light.
Thurs.9 . On the 9th, it blew a hard gale from the northward and westward, raising
a snow-drift which made the day almost as inclement as in the midst of winter.
The wind very suddenly ceased in the evening, and while the atmosphere
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 157
near the ships was so serene and undisturbed that the smoke rose quite per- 1820.
. . March
pendicularly, we saw the snow-drift on the hills at one or two miles' distance -^^r*--
whirled up into the air, in columns several hundred feet high, and carried
along by the wind, sometimes to the north, and at others in the opposite di-
rection. The snow, thus raised, at times resembled water-spouts, but more
frequently appeared like smoke issuing from the tops of the hills, and, as
such, was at first represented to me.
On the 12th, Lieutenant Liddon reported another of his seamen to be Sun. 12.
affected with scurvy, making two in each ship labouring, more or less, under
this disease ; Mr. Scallon also complained again a little, of feeling, according
to his own account, " as if tired with walking ;" by attention, however, to the
warmth and dryness of his clothing, he gradually recovered his former
strength as the season advanced.
It blew a strong breeze from the N.b.W., with a heavy snow-drift, on theTues. 14.
12th, which continued, with little intermission, till near noon on the 14th ; af-
fording us a convincing proof that the hopes with which we had flattered our-
selves of the speedy return of spring were not yet to be accomplished. During
this time the thermometer had once more fallen as low as — 28°, a change
which, after the late mild weather, we felt much in the same manner as we
should have done any of those alterations which occur in a more temperate
climate, at a higher part of the scale. I have before had occasion to observe
that this remark is equally applicable to all the changes we experienced in the
course of the winter, either from cold to warm, or the contrary.
At one P.M., on the 14th, the weather being nearly calm, and the ther-
mometer at + 33° in the sun, there was a second partial melting of the snow
upon the ships' stern. Immediately on the springing up of a light breeze,
however, the thermometer in the sun fell to + 11°, and at half-past two was
at + 6°, the temperature of the air in the shade remaining steadily from — 16°
to — 17°. At five P.M., a parhelion was observed on each side of the sun,
at its own altitude, and distant from it 22° 10', Avith a part of the usual
horizontal circle, extending 2° or 3° from the outer edge of each parhelion.
On the 16th, there being little wind, the weather was again pleasant and Thur. IG.
comfortable, though the thermometer remained very low. While it continued
nearly calm, we observed the following differences in the temperature of the
air in the shade and in the sun ; the latter, were however, noted by a ther-
mometer placed under the ship's stern, which situation was a warm one, for
the reasons before assigned.
15S VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
A.M. 9 .
. SHADE
- 24° .
SUN + 24°
» 10 ,
-23° .
. . +27°
11 .
- 22° .
. . + 281'
Noon .
.^
- 21° .
. . +29°
P.M. 3 .
- 13° .
. . + 19°.
^*?This evening, the officers performed the farces of the Citizen and the
Mayor of Garratt, being the last of our theatrical amusements for this winter,
the season having now arrived when there would no longer be a want of oc-
cupation for the men, and when it became necessary also to remove a part of
the roofing to admit light to the officers' cabins. Our poets were again set to
work on this occasion, and an appropriate address was this evening spoken
on the closing of the North Georgia Theatre, than which we may, without
vanity, be permitted to say, none had ever done more real service to the com-
munity for whose benefit it was intended.
Moil. 20. Two of the Hecla's seamen, who were employed on shore in digging
stones for ballast, reported on the 23th, that they had seen a glaucous gull,
or one of that species known to sailors by the name of *' burgomaster." On
being questioned respecting this bird, they strongly insisted on the impos-
sibility of their having mistaken its kind, having been vnthin twenty yards
of it. As, however, these gulls cannot well subsist without open water, of
which there was certainly none in the neighbourhood at that period, we con-
jectured that it might have been an owl ; a bird that may, perhaps, remain on the
island, even during the whole winter, as the abundance of mice fMws Hudsonius,)
of which we constantly saw the tracks upon the snow, would furnish them with
an ample supply of food. It was a novelty to us, however, to see any living animal
in this desolate spot ; for even the wolves and foxes, our occasional visitors
during the winter, had almost entirely deserted us for several weeks past.
The sick report of the Griper this day contained no less than ten cases, of
which four were scorbutic, while the number of sick, or rather of conva-
lescent, on board the Hecla, did not amount to half that number. On in-
quiring into the probable cause of this extraordinary proportion of sick on
board the Griper, which, just at this period, when their services began to be
necessary to our re-equipment, was likely to prove of serious importance, I
found, from Lieutenant Liddon, that the beams and bed-places on the Griper's
lower-deck had lately been in so damp a state, in consequence of the con-
densation of the vapour upon them, and in spite of every endeavour to pre-
vent it, that there could be little doubt of the cause to which the present
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 159
unhealthiness of the crew was to be chiefly attributed. I, therefore, directed a '^"-'^;
survey to be held by the three medical officers, and a report to be made of ^^-^^^^
their opinions, as to the expediency of altogether removing the bed-places, or
of adopting any other means of obviating the evil in question. These gen-
tlemen were of opinion that the extreme dampness was " occasioned by
the necessary proximity of the bed-places to the vessels' sides, and the
smailness of the lower-deck, in consequence of which the vapours formed
were deposited in so great abundance, particularly during meal-times, that
the heat of the fires was inadequate to remove the evil, before the cause was
again renewed." They therefore recommended taking down the bed-places,
in order to admit a more free ventilation, as well as a more equal distribution
of the warmth, and that hammocks should be substituted in their place ; an
alteration which was immediately adopted. While on this subject, which
is so intimately connected with the health of seamen in the Arctic Regions
it may be proper for me to remark that, although the bed-places, which were
fitted on board the Hecla and Griper, give a neat and comfortable appearance
to the lower-deck, and are in reality a great convenience to the men in many
respects, yet that our winter's experience plainly shews them to be so
favourable to the accumulation of dampness or ice within them, that there
can remain little doubt of their unfitness for this service ; and, I believe,
that hammocks will be found warmer, and in every respect more comfortable
to the men, than any other kind of sleeping-place that could be adopted. To
the officers* cabins, which are necessarily closer to the ship's side, the same
remark applies still more strongly ; and with this difference only, that, on
account of the want of length, cots must be used instead of hammocks. The
advantage of thus removing from the ship's side was remarkably proved in the
case of Lieutenant Liddon, whose state of health was so bad during the
winter, that we at one time entertained very serious apprehensions respecting
him. It was proposed, therefore, about the end of February, that he should sleep
in a cot, at some distance from the side ; and, from that period, his recovery
was so rapid and so decided, that in a few weeks he was enabled to walk out
every fine day in the open air for exercise, with the thermometer at twenty
degrees below zero, and without the slightest degree of inconvenience.
On the 23d, we found, by digging a hole in the ice, in the middle of the har- Tluu.23.
hour, where the depth of water was four fathoms and a quarter, that its thickness
was six feet and a half, and the snow on the surface of it eight inches deep.
This may be considered a fair specimen of the average formation of ice in this
160 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
neighbourhood since the middle of the preceding September ; and as the
freezing process did not stop for more than six weeks after this, the produce
of the whole winter may, perhaps, be reasonably taken at seven, or seven
and a half feet. In chopping this ice with an axe, the men found it very
hard and brittle till they arrived within a foot of the lower surface, where it
became soft and spongy.
Sat. 25, j\t noon, on the 25th, two thermometers stood
in the shade at —25°, and in the sun at +30°
at 1 P.M. - -22°, +17°
2 - - - -22°, +25°
3 - - - -22°, +21°
the thermometer in the sun being placed at a distance from the ship, and the
weather very calm and fine. The length of the day had now so much increased.
Sun. 26. that at midnight on the 26th, there was a very sensible twilight in the northern
quarter of the heavens ; and such was the rapidity with which this part of the
season appeared to us to have come round, that we could, with difficulty,
picture to ourselves the total darkness from which we had so lately emerged.
Tues. 28. On the 28th, Lieutenant Beechey reported, on his return from a walk over
the hills to the westward, that he had seen, even more plainly than before,
that refracted appearance in the southern horizon, which bore a strong
resemblance to distant land in that direction ; and, what is most worthy of
notice, still seeming to terminate abruptly about a S.b.E. bearing from Winter
Harbour. The thermometer was at this time at - 20°, and the mercury in the
barometer standing at 30.22 inches.
April. On one of the fine days in the early part of March, in taking a longer walk
than usual on the north side of the harbour, we accidentally met with a small
flat stone, on which the letter P was plainly engraved. As there seemed
little doubt that this had been artificially done, and as, since our arrival in
Winter Harbour, the weather had been too cold to induce any of our people
to sit down on the ground for the purpose of exercising their talent in this
way, we were entirely at a loss to conjecture how it came there, and various
amusing speculations were I'esorted to, in order to account for it. Since
that time, the weather had not permitted our sending for it till this day,
when it was brought on board ; and on inquiry among the men, we found
that Peter Fisher, a seaman belonging to the Griper, who was one of the
party under Mr. Fife, respecting whom we had felt so much anxiety in the
preceding September, had, on that occasion, amused himself by begia-
ABSTRACT of the METEOROLOGICAL JOURNAL kept on board His Majesty's Ship Hecla,
during the Month o{ March, 1820.
Day
Temperature of Air
in shade.
Prevailing Winds.
Prevailinsr Weather.
-17
-26
-24
- 9
+ 2.5
+ 2
-16
- 3
+ 1
+ 6
-19
-10
-12
-10
13
-12
- 8
-17
-18
22
21
19
-16
-17
-12
- 3
-40
-33
-37
-33
-26
-14
-14
-11
-29
-27
-24
-23
-26
-24
-16
-18
-18
-24
-22
-26
-27
-30
-29
-33
-29
-28
- 31.33
-25.00
-31.33
-27.92
- 16.50
- 2.50
- 6.17
- 18.35
- 8.58
- 4.96
- 2.25
- 24.00
- 22.71
- 17.83
- 16.25
-21.79
- 17.58
- 8.88
-13.75
-11.88
-15.63
-13.75
22.42
-21.50
-26.71
-25.50
-26.17
-24.17
-23.88
-20.29
- U.50
+ 0 -40 - 18.10 ' 30.26 29.00 29.803
inches.
30.16
inches.
29.S0
29.63
29.52
29.68
29.55
29.62
29.50
29.41
29.30
29.12
29.00
29.27
29.03
30.15
29.32
30.13
29.88
29.78
29.62
29.03
29.30
29.96
29.62
29.97
29.83
29.76
29.88
29.87
29.99
30.00
29.89
29.78
29.88
30.05
30.06
29.94
30.14
30.19
30.26
30.19
30.25
30.18
29.82
29.62
29.50
29.76
29.83
29.78
29.91
29.75
29.63
29.72
29.91
29.95
29.92
29.93
30.03
30.19
30.14
30.14
29.89
29.570
29.625
29.575
29.378
29.050
29.172
29.762
29.980
29.695
29.478
29.822
29.905
29.757
29.600
29.828
29.857
29.882
29.965
29.805
29.697
29.780
29.997
29.995
29.927
30.005
30.132
30.227
30.165
30.212
30.003
South.
South, round by
West, to North
North
N.N.W.
f s.s.E. ;
I variable. )
N.W.
North
West.
Round the compass
West.
N.b.W.
N.b.W.
North
North
N.N.W.
N.b.W.
North
North
North.
5 N.b.E. 1
(, North. J
North.
North
North
( N.W. J
t North 5
North
North
N.N.W.
N.N.W.
North
N.W.
Light airs and fine dear weather.
Fresh breezes and hazy with drift.
Strong breezes : much drift.
Fresh gales to light airs.
Light airs and cloudy — small snow.
Moderate with small snow.
Ditto ditto.
Fresh breezes with drift.
Strong breezes and hazy — P.M. moderate.
Variable, from calm to strong breezes.
Fresh breezes and hazy with drift.
Ditto ditto.
Ditto ditto.
Ditto ditto.
Ditto ditto.
Light airs and fine.
Strong breezes with much drift.
Fresh gales vrith heavy drift.
Moderate and clear.
Light airs with small snow
Light airs and hazy.
Fresh breezes and hazy with drift.
Light airs and fine.
Ditto ditto.
Ditto ditto
Light to strong breezes.
Light airs to snow.
Light breezes and fine.
Ditto ditto.
Ditto ditto.
Ditto and hazy
162 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1820. ning to scratch upon the stone in question, the initials of his name*. This
^^t^^ circumstance is only worthy of notice, from its proving to how considerable
a distance this party had rambled, and how completely they were in error as
to the direction in which they had been travelling ; the distance between the
two places being twenty-five miles. I was in hopes, also, of finding out by
this means, the situation of a large lake which Mr. Fife reported having seen,
and from which he brought a small fish, of the trout kind ; but the more I
questioned him and his party, the more I was convinced of the little depend-
ance to be placed on the account of persons circumstanced as they were,
and of their utter ignorance as to the part of the island in which the lake was
to be found.
In the evening, a parhelion was seen on each side of the sun, and a
third above it, as usual, at the angular distance of 22° 20', the two first being
strongly marked by the prismatic colours, and the other very indistinctly.
Early on the morning of the 3d, we observed an effect of refraction very
common in seas having much ice. It consists in the images of hummocks of
ice, reflected and inverted somewhat in this manner, t* i
7
in which case, from the apparent shape of these images, the ice is technically
said to " tree." This appearance is considered by the Greenland sailors, as
an indication of clear water in the direction in which it is seen, which was
certainly not the case this morning.
Wed. 5. At nine A.M., on the 5th, the weather being very fine, and the thermometer
at —18°, we observed a halo round the sun, which was at times nearly
complete. There was, as usual, a parhelion on each side of the sun, at the
same altitude, and distinctly prismatic. There was also a third parhelion
* When Mr. Fife and his party returned from that excursion, it was a matter of surprise
to us, to see how fresh Fisher was, and how little he seemed to regard what had happened,
as any thing out of the common way, of which, indeed, the circumstance just related, is
also a proof. When asked, on his first arrival on board on that occasion, what they had
lived upon, " Lived upon," said Fisher, dryly, " the Duke of WeUington never hved so
well. We had grouse for breakfast, grouse for dinner, and grouse for supper, to be
sure !"
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 163
in that part of the circle immediately above the sun, and this had a peculiarity 1820.
attending it which we had never before observed. Although the weather .^^^^^
was remarkably fine and clear, the atmosphere was full of innumerable
minute spiculce of snow glittering in the sun, which we had never before seen
on a bright sun-shiny day, though we had constant occasion to remark such
a deposit, at times when the weather could by no means be called hazy,
and when the heavenly bodies were distinctly visible. The parhelion above
the sun appeared to be evidently formed by the reflection of the sun's rays
to the eye, by an infinite number of these spiculae, commencing close to
the observer, and continuing so as to be easily distinguishable for at least
one or two hundred yards from the eye. This parhelion might at times be
easily seen to consist of the intersection, or rather the touching, of two
circles turning opposite ways, of which the plainest was generally the upper
one, or that which had its convex side downwards. At about 22° above
the parhelion, being nearly the same distance that the latter was above the
sun, a streak of glittering spicule was permanently seen in a horizontal
direction ; but there Avas so little of it, that it was difficult to say of
what regular figure it formed a part. This phenomenon continued above
an hour.
Being extremely anxious to get rid, as early as possible, of the drying of
our washed clothes upon the lower deck, I had to-day a silk handkerchief
washed, and hung up under the stern, in order to try the effect of the
sun's rays upon it. In four hours it became thoroughly dry, the thermo-
meter in the shade, being from — 18° to — G°, at the time. This was the
first article that had been dried without artificial heat for six months, and
it was yet another month before flannel could be dried in the open air. When
this is considered, as well as that during the same period, the airing of the
bedding, the drying of the bed-places, and the ventilation of the inhabited
parts of the ship, were wholly dependent on the same means, and this with a
very limited supply of fuel, it may, perhaps, be conceived in some degree,
what unremitting attention was necessary to the preservation of health, under
circumstances so unfavourable and even prejudicial.
At midnight, on the 7th, there was light enough to read the thermometer
with great ease. On the 8th, the weather was serene and clear ; the southern Sat. 8.
horizon being much raised by refraction, and presenting very strongly the
same appearance of land which had so often before been observed in that
quarter. A few thin white clouds which were floating in the atmosphere
164
VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
to-day, had much of that tendency to arch, which has before been described
on one or two occasions. Two distinct arches were thus formed this mornino-
one in the northern, the other in the southern hemisphere of the heavens,
their altitude in the centre being from 20° to 45°, and joining at each end in
the E.N.E. and W.S.W, points of the horizon.
Sun. 9. Prom half-past six till eight A.M., on the 9th, a halq, with parhelia, was
observed about the sun, similar in every respect to those described on the
5th, Atone P.M. these phenomena re-appeared, together with several others
of the same nature, which, with Captain Sabine's assistance, I have endea-
voured to delineate in the annexed figure.
..^t
s, the sun, its altitude being about 23°. h,h, the horizon.
t, II, a complete horizontal circle of white light passing through the sun.
a, a very bright and dazzling parhelion, not prismatic.
b, c, prismatic parhelia at the intersection of a circle a, b, d, c, whose radius
was 22|° with the horizontal circle t, u.
X, d, V, an arch of an inverted circle, having its centre apparently about
the zenith. This arch was very strongly tinted with the prismatic colours.
k, e, I. an arch apparently elliptical rather than circular, e being distant
from .the sun 26° ; the part included between x and v was prismatic, the rest
white. The space included between the two prismatic arches, x e v d was
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 1G5
made extremely brilliant by the reflection of the sun's rays, from innume-
rable minute spiculae of snow floating in the atmosphere.
qfr, a circle having a radius from the sun, of 45°, strongly prismatic about
the points/ q r, and faintly so all round.
m n, a small arch of an inverted circle, strongly prismatic, and having its
centre apparently in the zenith.
r p, q 0, arches of large circles, very strongly prismatic, which could only
be traced to p and o ; but on that part of the horizontal circle t u, which M'as
directly opposite to the sun, there appeared a confused white light, which had
occasionally the appearance of being caused by the intersection of large arches
coinciding with a prolongation of r p, and q o.
The above phenomenon continued during the greater part of the afternoon ;
but at six P.M., the distance between i and e increased considerably, and
what before appeared an arch, x, d, v, now assumed the appearance given in
fig. 12, plate 287, of Brewster's Encyclopedia, resembling horns, and so
described in the article " Halo" of that work. At 90° from the sun, on
each side of it, and at an altitude of 30° to 50°, there now appeared also a
very faint arch of white light, which sometimes seemed to form a part of
the circles q o, r p; and sometimes we thought they turned the opposite
way. In the outer large circle, we now observed two opposite and corre-
sponding spots y, y, more strongly prismatic than the rest, and the inverted
arch m,f, n, was now much longer than before, and resembled a beautiful
rainbow.
The protracted length of the winter began now to make us more than usually Thuil.'
impatient, and to create in us reasonable apprehensions lest our escape from
Winter Harbour should unavoidably be postponed to a period too late for the
accomplishment of those sanguine hopes, with which the last year's success
had induced us to flatter ourselves. The extraordinary degree of cold which
continued day after day was such as we had certainly not anticipated ; and
when, at this period, with the sun above the horizon for seventeen hours
out of the four and twenty, the thermometer was still occasionally falling as
low as — 31°, which it did at four this morning, it must be confessed that
our fiiture prospects of advancement began to wear a very unpromising
aspect. It may be imagined, also, with what anxiety we watched for the
first appearance of a thaw, both on shore and upon the ice round the ships,
in neither of which had any such appearances yet become perceptible, except
that here and there, where the snow happened to lie very thin upon the
166 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1820. ground, allowing the sun's rays to penetrate to the earth, a sufficient degree
v^^^ of heat had been radiated partially to thaw the snow, forming it into a thin
transparent cake, like a plate of glass. Indeed, the cloudless sky, and the
uniformly Avhite surface of sea and land which characterize the climate of
Melville Island at this period, are ill calculated to impart warmth to the
atmosphere ; and it Avas not till the clouds became gradually more dense
and frequent, and the earth, had, by slow degrees, become uncovered in parts,
so as to admit the absorption and radiation of heat, that the dissolution of the
snow could go on to any considerable extent.
Sun. 16. In the afternoon of the 16th, the weather being clear and nearly calm,
Mr. Hooper and myself observed a colouring in some light fleecy clouds, which
formed one of the most beautiful phenomena that I had ever seen. These clouds,
which were small and white, and almost the only ones in the heavens, assumed,
as they approached and passed under the sun, the most soft and exquisite
tints of light lake, bluish green, and yellow about their edges, that can pos-
sibly be imagined. These tints appeared only when the clouds were within
15° or 20° of the sun, were brightest as they passed under it, which they did
as close as 2°, and began to be again indistinct at 10° from it. Some of the
clouds remained coloured in this way for upwards of a quarter of an hour;
there did not seem to be any regular arrangement of tints, as in the prismatic
spectrum, but the lake was always next the sun.
It was a source of extreme satisfaction to me to find that the health of both
ships' companies were daily improving as the season advanced ; so that by
the middle of April the Griper's sick list was reduced to four, all of whom
were convalescent ; and on board the Hecla, Mr. Edwards had but a single
patient, William Scott, boatswain's-mate, who first complained of pneumonia
about this time, and whose case subsequently assumed a more dangerous
character.
On the 19th and 20th, the thermometer kept up nearly to zero, in conse-
quence of the wind blowing from the E.S.E., and continual snow, of which
Fiid. 21. we remarked, when walking on shore on the 21st, that as much had fallen in
the last two days as during the whole of the winter. The spiculae were also
much less minute than before, though the snow could not as yet be said to fall
in flakes.
Tues.25. The wind, which had blown fresh from the eastward for several hours,
moderated at half past two A.M. on the 25th, and the thermometer fell from
-h 4° to — 1° at four o'clock. As the wind freshened again, the thermometer
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE.
167
once more rose, and by eight A.M. stood at + 10°. On the two following 1820.
days Captain Sabine made some observations on the difference in the tern- ...^^^
perature of the atmosphere in the sun, and in the shade ; which shew the ^®'^" ^^*
effect of the sun's rays much more correctly than those made on board, as it
is almost impossible to prevent the thermometer from being affected by the
radiation of heat from the ship. " Two posts having been fixed in the snow,
at a short distance apart, and connected by a line passing through the
shadow cast, by the observatory, about the middle of the day, two mercurial
thermometers, being an exact pair, and having their bulbs unprotected, were
suspended from the line, one being exposed to the sun, and the other in the
shade of the observatory ; the bulbs of both were six or eight inches from
the snow."
h. m.
SUN.
SHADE.
April 26.
1 30 P.M.
+ 17 '
+ 65)
2 —
2 13
22
23
7
7
' Calm.
2 18
24 5
7 6
2 35
20 5
6 5
A gentle air.
2 50
21
. 6 7
6 —
9 5
4 5
April 27.
11 20 A.M.
15
5 >
11 30
20
7
11 40
34
9
11 45
11 55
23 5
24
8 5
8 5
( Almost calm.
0 25 P.M.
21
7
1 —
20
7 5
2 20
25
7 7 ^
2 45
10
4 5
A breeze spr
The morning of the 27th being very fine, and the thermometer at + 6°, Thut. 26.
the ship's company's bedding was hung up to air, between the fore and main
rigging, being the first time we had ventured to bring it from the lower deck
for nearly eight months. While it was out, the births and bed-places were
fumigated with a composition of powder mixed with vinegar, and known '"'
familiarly by the name oi devils ; an operation which had been regularly
gone through once a week during the winter.
^
168 VOYAGE FOU THE DISCOVERY
1S20. This evening, and during the whole night, we experienced, for the first time
v^,!^ this season, a fog, such as occurs in more temperate climates, and which the
sun dispersed on the following morning ; the same thing again occurred the
Frid. 28. next day.
Sat. 29. At half-past two P.M. on the 29th, Mr. Edwards and myself observed the
clouds coloured in the same beautiful and delicate manner as on the I6th ;
except that the tints were now not so vivid, the clouds passing farther from
the sun. A parhelion was also seen on each side of the sun horizontally ;
both were faint and quite white.
I have before mentioned the circumstance of our lower rigging having been
very slack during the severity of the winter, and again become tight as the
warmer weather came on. Even now this had taken place so effectually, that
the rigging was full as tight as when we left the river Thames twelve
months before. I have been the more particular in mentioning this fact,
because the circumstance of its becoming slack by the cold is at variance with
the accounts of other navigators*.
For the last three or four days of April, the snow on the black cloth
of our housing had begun to thaw a little during a few hours in the
middle of the day, and on the 30th so rapid a change took place in the
temperature of the atmosphere, that the thermometer stood at the freezing,
or as it may more properly be termed in this climate, the thawing point,
being the first time that such an event had occurred for nearly eight months,
or since the 9th of the preceding September. This temperature was, to
our feelings, so much like that of summer, that I was under the necessity of
using my authority to prevent the men from making such an alteration in their
clothing as might have been attended with very dangerous consequences. By
the annexed Abstract of the Hecla's Meteorological Journal for April, it will
be seen how rapid was the change of temperature during this month, the ther-
mometer having ranged from - 32° to -+- 32° in the course of twenty days.
There was, at this period, more snow upon the ground than at any other time
of the year, the average depth on the lower parts of the land being four or
five inches, but much less upon the hills ; while in the ravines a very large
* " On the morning of the 5th, (November,) it was discovered that almost all the shrouds
on the starboard side of the ship were broken, which happened from contraction and
tenseness, caused by frost." — Account of Bering's Voyage, A. D. 1741, Burney's North-
Eastern Voyages of Discovery, p. 171.
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 169
quantity had been collected. The snow at this time became so soft, from 1820.
the influence of the sun upon it, as to make walking very laborious and ,^^^
unpleasant.
This rapid change in the temperature of the atmosphere again revived our
hopes of a speedy departure from Melville Island; and such were the sanguine
expectations which animated us at this period, that I believe there was not an
officer or man, on board either of the ships, who had not made up his mind to
the probability of our leaving Winter Harbour by the middle or latter part of
June.
The fine and temperate weather with which the month of April had c6n- May.
eluded, induced Captain Sabine to set the clocks going, in order to commence
his observations for the pendulum, and he now took up his quarters entirely ^^°^- '
on shore for that purpose. On the first of May, however, it blew a strong
gale from the northward, which made it impossible to keep up the desired
temperature in the house ; and so heavy was the snow-drift, that in a few
hours the house was nearly covered, and we were obliged to communicate
with Captain Sabine and his attendants through a small window, from which
the snow was, with much labour, cleared away, the door being quite inac-
cessible. We saw the sun at midnight for the first time this season.
The gale and snow-drift continued on the following day, when we had Tues. 2.
literally to dig out the sentries, who attended the fire at the house, in order
to have them relieved. I feel it right to mention these circumstances, that
the difficulties with which Captain Sabine had to contend, may be duly ap-
preciated in the making of observations that require, even under every
favourable circumstance of weather and climate, no ordinary share of skill
and attention.
The day being moderate and fine on the 3d, we perceived that the late Wed. 3.
gale had almost entirely uncovered the higher parts of the land, the snow
being blown into the ravines and hollows. We remarked, in the forenoon,
that the clouds had a tendency to form two distinct arches across the heavens
from N.N.E. to S.S.W., joining at the horizon, but separating gradually on
each side of the zenith, to the distance of 8° or 10° from each other. At ten
P. M. a parhelion was seen on each side of the sun, at the usual distance, and
slightly tinged with the prismatic colours.
ABSTRACT of the METEOROLOGICAL JOURNAL kept on board His Majesty's Ship Hecla,
during the Month of AprU, 1820.
Day
Temperature of Air
in shade.
Barometer.
Prevailing Winds.
Prevailing Weather.
Maxi-
Mini-
Mean.
MaxL
mum.
Mini.
Mean.
o
inches
incties
inclies.
1
- 0
-16
— 6.33 !
30.02
30.01
30.013
N.W.
Light breezes and cloudy : snow.
2
— 2
—25
— 8.37 i
30.02
29.89
29.955
Round the compass.
Light and variable with snow.
3
-9
—26
—18.71
29.81
29.79
29.798
North.
Light airs and fine.
4
— 8
—26
—14.75 '
29.86
29.83
29.843
North.
Ditto ditto.
5
— 6
-24.5
—16.62 1
30.00
28.86
21.908
W.N.W.
Ditto ditto.
6
—15
—25
—18.75
30.01
29.96
29.983
NJSI.W.
Fresh breezes with drift.
7
-13
—26
—21.00
30.00
29.89
29.940
N.W.
Moderate and fine.
8
— B
-29
—20.46
29.87
29.84
29.855
North.
Light airs and fine.
9
—14
—30
—21.85
29.88
29.83
29.850
S.E.
Ditto ditto.
10
—12
—32
—22.96
29.80
29.70
29.730
North.
Ditto ditto.
11
—12
—27
—19.67
29.68
29.57
29.620
North.
Ditto ditto.
12
—11
—29
—20.00
29.64
29.52
29.565
North.
Ditto ditto.
13
-15
-31
—22.92
29.85
29.67
29.768
N.byW. to South.
Ditto ditto.
14
—14
—29
—19.37
29.95
28.89
29.932
N.N.E. to S.S.E.
Ditto ditto.
15
+ 6
—17
— 7.33
29.72
29.40
29.543
E.S.E.
From fresh to light breezes.
16
— 5
—19
—12.33
29.90
29.57
29.770
N.N.W.
Light breezes and clear.
17
— 5
-21
—13.62
30.26
29.94
30.127
Round the compass.
Ditto ditto.
18
— 1
—15
— 8.17
30.32
30.23
30.288
Calm.
Clear weather.
19
+ 2
—13
— 4.00
30.23
29.92
30.052
E.S.E.
Light airs and fine.
20
+ 4
— 9
— 2.21
29.78
29.67
29.697
East.
Fresh breezes : snow and drift.
21
+ 3
-10
- 3.17
29.96
29.70
29.837
N.N.W.
Moderate and fine. '
22
0
-12
- 4.63
30.00
29.97
29.987
North.
Fresh breezes and hazy.
23
+ 13
— 5
+ 4,00
29.89
29.63
29.756
.N.N.E.
Fresh breezes with drift.
24
+ 14
+ 4
+ 10.42
29.71
29.67
29.692
East.
Fresh breezes with snow and drift.
23
+ 14
— 7 ■
+ 4.88
30.20
29.70
29.970
EasttoS.S.W.
Moderate with snow and drift.
26
+ 11
—12
— 1.17
30.55
30.25
30.380
North.
Light airs and fine weather.
27
+ 9
—12
+ 0.08,
30.86
30.66
30.803
North to S.E.
Ditto ditto.
28
+ 15
— 5
+ 4.83
30.79
30.46
30.607
Round the compass.
Ditto ditto.
29
+ 22
+ 3
+ 12.75
30.66
30.43
30.555
North.
Light airs vrith snow.
30
+ 32
+ 6
+ 30.28
30.67
30.34
30.505
N.W.
Ditto ditto
+ 32
-32
— 8.37
30.86
29.40
29.978
VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY. ,171
Being desirous of making some observations on the height and time of the 1820.
tides, I directed a hole to be cut through the ice under the ship's stern, and ^J^
a pole, graduated in the upper part to feet and inches, dropped through it, Thurs. 4.
and securely moored by a heavy weight to the bottom. Our observations
commenced this afternoon, and the height indicated by the pole was regis-
tered every hour in the Hecla's log-book. An abstract of the Tide-table,
together with such remarks as I have been enabled to make on this subject,
will be given hereafter. The snow which we had in the autumn banked up
against the ships' sides was now cleared away, in readiness for cutting the ice
round them, an operation which I was anxious to perform previously to our
making any alterations in the quantity or distribution of the weight in our
holds, lest the ships should receive any injury from doing so, in their present
confined situation. It is of course not easy to judge in what degree the
banking up of the snow had been serviceable in retaining the warmth within
the ships, but there can be little doubt that it produced a considerable effect
in this way, as well perhaps as in lessening, in some measure, the thickness
of the ice which formed around them.
On the 5th Mr. Edwards reported that Mr. Crawford, the Greenland mate, F"<1- 5-
who had, for several days past, been complaining of pains which appeared to
be rheumatic, shewed some symptoms of the scurvy, which made it necessary
to resort to the antiscorbutic diet. It is worthy of notice, that Mr. Crawford
was one of the most clean, temperate, and cheerful men in the expe-
dition, and, as such, was one of the least likely to be thus affected. The
washed clothes of the ships' company were this day dried entirely in the
open air.
On the 6th, the thermometer rose no higher than + 81° during the day ; Sat. 6.
but, as the wind was moderate, and it was high tiriie to endeavour to get
the ships once more fairly afloat, we commenced the operation of cutting
the ice about them. In order to prevent the men suffering from wet and
cold feet, a pair of strong boots and boot-stockings were on this occasion
served to each, being part of a complete suit of warm clothing, with which I
had been supplied for the purpose of issuing them to the ship's companies
gratis, whenever I should see occasion. As the sun became low towards
midnight, the usual parhelia appeared about this luminary.
At half-past nine A.M., on the 10th, Lieutenant Beechey observed a halo Wed. 10.
round the sun, consisting of a complete circle, and an arch of another,
touching the first in the part immediately above the sun, and having its
Z2 ■
■- I !' ,1
^—— ——"—"—— —>——««_ ■ - ■'■ I I il nil,. . .| f
m
VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1820.
May.
centre apparently from 40° to 50° from that object. There were two parhelia
faintly prismatic as usual, but about 3° without the circle.
O
O
Frid,
This phenomenon was remarkable, on account of the parhelia not being
situated upon the halo, as was usually the case. It now occurred to me,
that on the preceding day, when the same phenomenon had been faintly
seen Mr. Nias, whom I directed to measure the angular distance between
the parhelia and the sun, had reported it to be 24° 40', the radius of the
halo being 22J^° as usual. This I considered to have been an unavoidable
error in the measurement of an ill-defined object ; but, on repeating it, his
first report was found to be correct. On the present occasion. Lieutenant
Beechey saw it for so short a time as not to allow him to measure the
distance.
The expedition having, at its departure from England, been victualled for
no more than two years, of which one had now expired, I considered it
expedient, as a matter of precaution, to reduce the daily alloAvance of all the
kinds of provision to two-thirds of the established proportion, which re-
gulation accordingly took place from this day. The cheerfulness with which
this reduction was received by both officers and men,-was to me an additional
and hio-hly-gratifying proof of that firm and zealous principle of duty by
which their conduct was at all times regulated.
12 On the 12th, one of the men, employed in digging turf on shore, reported
that he had seen a ptarmigan, an event which, trifling as it was, created
no small degree of interest among us, who had now been deprived of fresh
meat for nearly six months ; it was also hailed as a sure omen of returning
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 173
summer. This was further confirmed by Mr. Beverly having on the 13th l82o
killed a male ptarmigan, and by another being seen on the following day, as .^.-^
well as the first tracks of rein-deer and musk-oxen, which indicated their
route to be directly to the northward. The time of the return of these
animals to Melville Island, from the continent, is thus satisfactorily ascer-
tained; and it was suggested by Captain Sabine, as a circumstance worthy
of remark, that the period of their migration had occurred with the first fine
weather Avhich took place after the commencement of constant day-light.
In examining the seeds and small buds contained in the maw of the bird killed
by Mr. Beverly, they were found to consist entirely of the native plants of the
island, and principally those of the dwarf-willow, so that the bird had perhaps
arrived a day or two before that time. On the 15th, two or three coveys
of ptarmigan were seen, after which they became more and more numerous,
and a brace or two were almost daily procured for the sick, for whose use
they were exclusively reserved. As it was of the utmost importance, under
our present circumstances, that every ounce of game which we might thus
procure, should be served in lieu of the other meat, I now renewed the
orders formerly given, and which afterwards obtained among us the name
of " game-laws," that every animal killed was to be considered as public
property ; and, as such, to be regularly issued like any other kind of pro-
vision, without the slightest distinction between the messes of the officers
and those of the ships' companies.
Some of our men, having, in the course of their shooting excursions, been
exposed for several hours to the glare of the sun and snow, returned at
night, much affected with that painful inflammation in the eyes, occasioned
by the reflection of intense light from the snow, aided by the warmth of
the sun, and called in America, " snow-blindness." This complaint, of
which the sensation exactly resembles that produced by large particles of
sand or dust in the eyes, is cured by some tribes of American Indians, by
holding them over the steam of warm water ; but we found a cooling wash,
made of a small quantity of acetate of lead mixed with cold water, more
efficacious in relieving the irritation, which was always done in three or
four days, even in the most severe cases, provided the eyes were carefully
guarded from the light. As a preventive of this complaint, a piece of black
crape was given to each man, to be worn as a kind of short veil attached to
the hat, which we found to be very serviceable ; a still more convenient
mode, adopted by some of the officers, was found equally efficacious ; this
fT4i VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY.
1820. consisted in taking the glasses out of a pair of spectacles, and substituting
^Ij black or green crape, the glass having been found to heat the eyes, and
increase the irritation.
The exhalations arising from the earth were about this time observed to be
very abundant, producing, during the daytime much of that appearance of
waving tremulous motion in distant objects, which the French call mirage,
and which was usually succeeded by a fog at night, as soon as the atmosphere
had become cool.
Tues. 16. During one of these fogs, at four A.M. on the 16th, the sky being perfectly
clear in the zenith to 30° of altitude, whilst a dense haze rested on the land
and ice. Captain Sabine observed " a haze-bow of distinct and dazzling light,
having its edges softened off, and without any appearance of prismatic
colouring. The legs of the bow rose out of a bluish haze, the colour of
tvhich somewhat resembled that of weak starch ; not quite half a circle was
complete ; the middle of the arch was between 22° and 23° above the land,
which is of little elevation, and the legs were 71° apart. The weather was
ftearly calm, and there had been a considerable deposition of frozen dew
throughout the night. Similar phenomena were observed on the mornings of
the 20th and 23d, about the same hour."
Wed. 17. On the 17th, we completed the operation of cutting the ice round the
Hecla, which was performed in the following manner: The ice alongside
the ships was found to be six feet thick, being about eighteen inches less
than the average thickness of it in Winter Harbour, owing principally to our
having continued to cut it round the ships for some time after the commence-
ment of the winter, and in part, perhaps, to the snow with which it had
there been thickly covered. We began by digging a large hole under the
stern, being the same as that in which the tide-pole was placed, in order to
enter the saw, which occupied us nearly two days, only a small number of
men being able to work at it. In the mean time, all the snow and rubbish,
was cleared away from the ship's side, leaving only the solid ice to work j
upon ; and a trench, two feet wide, was cut the whole length of the starboardj
side, from the stem to the rudder, keeping within an inch or two of thej
bends, and taking care here and there to leave a dike, to prevent the
water which might ooze into one part from filling up the others in which!
the men were working. In this manner was the trench cut with axes^l
to the depth of about four feet and a half, leaving only eighteen inchesij
for the saws to cut, except in those places where the dikes remained.
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 145
The saw being then entered in the hole under the stern, was worked 1820
in the usual manner, being suspended by a triangle made of three spars ; ^^^^
one cut being made on the outer part of the trench, and a second within
an inch or two of the bends, in order to avoid injuring the planks. A
small portion of ice being broken off now and then by bars, handspikes, and
ice-chisels, floated to the surface, and was hooked out by piecemeal. This
operation was a cold and tedious one, and required nine days to complete it.
When the workmen had this morning completed the trench Avithin ten or
twelve feet of the stern, the ship suddenly disengaged herself from the ice to
which she had before been firmly adhering on the larboard side, and rose in
the water about ten inches abaft, and nearly eighteen inches forward, with a
considerable surge. This disengagement, to which the sailors naturally
applied the term " launching," confirmed my supposition, that the ship was
held so fast by the ice, as to make it dangerous to alter materially the
stowage of the holds, but in a manner the very reverse of what I had
apprehended. This circumstance, however, on consideration, it was not
difficult to explain. In the course of the winter, the strong eddy winds about
the ships had formed round them a drift of snow, seven or eight feet deep in
some parts, and, perhaps, weighing a hundred tons ; by which the ice, and
the ships with it, were carried down much below the natural level at which
they would otherwise have floated. In the mean time the ships had become
considerably lighter, from the expenditure of several months' provisions ; so
that, on both these accounts, they had naturally a tendency to rise in the
water as soon as they were set at liberty.
The ships being now once more fairly afloat, I directed a strict and
careful survey to be commenced of all the provisions and stores of every
kind remaining on board each ship, and at the same time the Griper to be
supplied with the quantity which the Hecla had stowed for her, amounting
nearly to the proportion of every kind for twelve months. In the mean
time, a party of hands were occupied in breaking and weighing the stones
for ballast, while others were getting out the sails and boats, and our car-
penters, armourers, coopers, and sail-makers, having each their respective
employments, our little colony now presented the most busy and bustling
scene that can be imagined. It was found necessary to caulk every part of
the upperworks, as well as all the decks, the seams having been so much
opened by the frost, as to require at least one, and in many parts two
threads of oakum, though the ship had scarcely ever laboured at all since
176 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1820. she was last caulked. I also at this time laid out a small garden, planting
y^r\^ it with radishes, onions, mustard and cress ; and a similar attempt was
made by Lieutenant Liddon : but, notwithstanding every care and attention
which could be paid to it, this experiment may be said to have wholly failed,
the radishes not exceeding an inch in length by the latter end of July, and
the other seeds being altogether thrown away. Not even a single crop of
mustard and cress could be thus raised in the open air ; and our horticulture
was, therefore, once more confined to my cabin, where, at the present mild
temperature of the atmosphere, those two vegetables could be raised without
any difficulty, and in considerable abundance. I may remark, however, that
some common ships' peas, which were sown by our people for their amuse-
ment, were found to thrive so well, that, had I been sooner aware of it, a
great quantity of the leaves at least of this vegetable might have been grown,
which, when boiled, and eaten as greens, would have been no small treat
to persons deprived of fresh vegetable substance for more than ten months.
It is not improbable also, that, by the assistance of glass, the want of which
deprived us of the opportunity of making the experiment, a great deal more
miglit have been done in this way, notwithstanding the miserable climate with
f J -f^t'T which Ave had to contend.
Sun. 21. About the 21st we began to perceive a daily diminution of the snow upon
the land, the brown soil appearing in patches, where hitherto the snow had
Mon 22. completely covered it ; and on the 22d, in the course of a walk which we
took to the Table-hill, to the westward of the ships, we had the satisfaction
of being able to fill a pint bottle with water from a small pool of melted snow,
having a quantity of sand mixed with it, a circumstance which we always
found to favour the thawing process. There cannot, perhaps, be a more
striking proof of the extreme severity of the climate of Melville Island than
the fact, that this was the first instance we had known of water, naturally in a
fluid state when exposed to the atmosphere, and unassisted by artificial
means, such as those which I have already described as having occurred in
one or two instances under the ship's stern, since the middle of the preceding
September, being an interval of more than eight months. The Table-hill,
which is seen at a great distance on the coast, in coming from the eastward,
and which forms a conspicuous object in this country where there is so little
to vary the scene, lies at the distance of five or six miles to the westward of
the station of the ships in Winter Harbour. It rises about a hundred feet
above the level of the plain on which it stands, the top of it not exceeding in
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 177
extent a quarter of an acre of ground. The surface of it consists generally 1820.
of sand, on which are lying numerous masses of lime-stone, nearly the whole v.^^
of whicli, though varying in colour from white to dark brown, have a fetid
smell when broken ; and many of the specimens contained madrepore. We
found here also a quantity of clay iron-stone, which is common in this part of
Melville Island, together with pieces of flint, granite, and other substances,
which are described in the Appendix. During this excursion, too, we dis-
overed, with pleasure, that the sorrel (Riimex digi/nus, Linn. J was extremely
abundant in the neighbourhood of the ships, a root or two of this valuable
antiscorbutic plant occurring in almost every tuft of moss which we met with.
No appearance of its beginning to vegetate could yet, however, be perceived ;
and we began to look with impatience for the sprouting of its leaves, from
which we hoped to obtain a supply of fresh vegetable matter, of which, perhaps
in reality, we all began to stand in need. About two hundred yards to the
westward of this hill is another rather smaller, but very similar in appearance,
and composed of the same mineral substances as that just described ; in
coming from the eastward, the second hill is not seen, being hid behind
the other.
Having considered that an examination of the extent and productions of Tues. 23.
the island might be conducive to the improvement of the geography and
natural history of these regions, and the good state of health enjoyed by
the crews, permitting a certain number of men to be spared from each
ship during their equipment for sea, I now determined to undertake a journey
into the interior, for this purpose, accompanied by a certain number of
officers and men who volunteered their services on the occasion ; and the 1st
of June was fixed for our departure. The Griper's sick-list had noAv been
reduced to one person, whose only complaint was debility from a late attack
of scurvy ; and William Scott, whom I have before had occasion to mention,
was the only patient on board the Hecla. The case of this man had been
such as, for some time past, to baffle Mr. Edwards's endeavours to produce a
favourable change, his complaint appearing to be more mental than corporeal,
and, therefore, one which no medicine could be expected to cure.
Previously to my intended departure, I was occupied in measuring a
base upon the ice across the mouth of the haibour, and in taking the
necessary angles for the survey, which was carried to the eastward be-
yond Fife's Harbour, principally for the purpose of connecting our obser-
vations here with those obtained by Captain Sabine on the 6th of the pre-
178 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1820. ceding September, on Avhich the correction of the longitudes observed during
v,^ the navigation of 1819, in part depended.
Wed. 24- Early on the morning of the 24th, Mr. Allison reported that he had felt a
few drops of rain fall upon his face, an event which we had scarcely dared to
anticipate so soon, but which was hailed with much satisfaction, as nothing
appears to be so effectual as rain in producing the dissolution of the ice. The
clouds had a watery appearance throughout the day, and at half-past eight in
the evening, we were agreeably surprised by a smart shower of rain which was
shortly after succeeded by several others. We had been so unaccustomed to
see water naturally in a fluid state at all, and much less to see it fall from the
heavens, that such an occurrence became a matter of considerable curiosity,
and I believe every person on board hastened on deck to witness so interesting
as well as novel a phenomenon. The rain which fell in the course of the
evening, made several little pools upon the ice, which now remained, unfrozen
for twelve or fourteen hours in the day, as did also the sea-water around the
ships. Two ivory gulls (Larus Eburneus) were reported to have been seen in
the course of this day by a party employed in cutting turf on shore.
Sat. 27. I am now to mention an occurrence which took place at this period, and
on which I should gladly be silent, but that it is intimately connected with
the important subject of the health of seamen in this and in every other
climate: It Avas reported to me, through one or two of the Hecla's petty-
officers, that one of our seamen, whose name I am unwilling to record, and
who had lately been cured, by the greatest care and attention, of a rather
severe attack of the scurvy, had been in the frequent habit of eating with his
bread a quantity of the skimmings of the water in which salt meat is boiled,
called by tjje sailors " slush." This kind of fat or grease, which is always
understood to be a perquisite of the cooks in His Majesty's navy, and the use
of which is well-known to be in the highest degree productive of scurvy, had
always been a source of considerable anxiety and apprehension to me during
the voyage. Soon after our leaving England, when the issuing of salt-meat
commenced, I sent for the cook of the Hecla, and in presence of the officers,
warned him on no account ever to permit a particle of this slush to be used by
the ship's company ; and, on condition of his faithfully complying with this
injunction, I permitted him, under certain restrictions, to preserve it in casks,
for his own future benefit. With these directions the cook had, I believe,
punctually complied till the middle of the winter; when he had been gradu-
ally led into a practice of furnishing the people occasionally with a small quan-
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. ' 179
tity of fat to burn in their lamps ; of this, the man alluded to, had, it seems,
taken advantage, and used it as an article of diet in the manner described.
Being determined immediately to check so pernicious a practice, I charged
him with his offence in presence of the officers and ship's company, pointing
out to them, at the same time, the ingratitude with which he had repaid the
care taken of him during his late illness. It gave me great satisfaction to find
that the men were disposed to view this act with a degree of indignation little
short of that which I feel it my duty to express on this occasion, some of
them, as I found, having repeatedly spoken to him before upon the subject.
Having, therefore, directed that the offender should be punished by wearing
upon his back a badge, which would expose him for a time to the contempt
and derision of his shipmates, I felt satisfied that no future instance would
occur of an offence which might prove so fatal to the cause in which we were
engaged.
Early on the morning of the 29th, the wind increased tb a fresh gale from Mon. 29.
the northward and westward, which continued during the day, with a heavy
fall of snow and a tremendous drift that prevented our seeing to the dis-
tance of more than twenty yards around the ships. The following day being Tues. 30.
fine, I took my travelling party to the top of the north-east hill, in order to
try the cart, which had been constructed for carrying the tents and baggage,
and which appeared to answer very well. The view from this hill was not
such as to offer much encouragement to our hopes of future advancement to
tlie westward. The sea still presented the same unbroken and continuous
surface of solid and impenetrable ice, and this ice could not be less than from
six to seven feet in thickness, as wc knew it to be about the ships. When
to this circumstance was added the consideration, that scarcely the slightest
symptoms of thawing had yet appeared, and that in three weeks from this
period the sun would again begin to decline to the southward, it must be
confessed, that the most sanguine and enthusiastic among us had some reason
to be staggered in the expectations they had formed of the complete accom-
plishment of our enterprise.
. JiHiiyij oj. lyya juutwyu 011 uu iimi byjiiiiw
itau ,mirf boiiinnaq I ,ao\ioau\iii
— -'f .ih'n^o(i snjJii'i awo siri i6i
'\mn orft IliJ bailffnioa, ^Uauionvq
anoigfiooo aJqosq osli ^niriyimui ^o soiiojjiq s ohii bsi -^Ilfi
ABSTRACT of the METEOROLOGICAL JOURNAL ke
pt on boaid His Majesty's Ship Hecla,
during the Month of May,
1820.
Day
Temperature of Air
in shade.
Barometer.
Prevailing Winds.
Prevailing Weather.
Maxi-
Mini-
Mean.
Maxi-
Mini.
Mean.
1
-fz
°0
o
+ 8.58
inches.
30.48
inches.
30.31
inches.
30.342
North.
Strong gales to moderate and cloudy.
2
+ 11
- 1
6.25
30.46
30.39
30.418
North.
Strong breezes and fine.
3
+ 15
+ 2
9.25
30.42
30.39
30.403
f North. I
i N.W. I
Moderate and fine.
4
+ 16
0
7.67
30.41
30.38
30.398
N.N.W.
Moderate and fine.
6
+ 20
+ 2
11.58.
30.36
30.26
30.312
North.
Fresh breezes with drift.
6
+ 8.6
- 2
3.83
30.24
30.09
30.155
N.N.W.
Strong breezes and fine.
7
+ 5
- 4
0.79
30.05
29.98
30.007
N.N.W. North.
Moderate and fine.
8
+ 8
- 2
3.00
29.99
29.98
29.982
North.
Fresh breezes and fine.
9
+ 9
- 1
4.67
30.03
29.93
29.985
North.
Ditto. ditto
10
+ 10
+ 1
5.62
30.07
30.00
30.027
North.
Ditto. ditto.
11
+ 10
-1.5
4.17
30.14
30.08
30.113
North.
Ditto. ditto.
12
+ 18
- 1
8.62
30.19
30.15
30.168
North.
Light breezes and cloudy.
13
+ 17
- 1
7.62
30.34
30.19
30.262
N.W.
Ditto. ditto.
14
+ 17 •
- 3
7.50
30.41
30.36
30.393
Calm.
Fine clear weather.
15
+ 19.5
- 1
9.42
30.38
30.26
30.317
Calm.
Ditto. ditto.
16
+24
- 2
12.67
30.23
30.19
30.200
Cahn.
Hazy weather.
17
+ 29
+ 7
18.50
30.24
^30.21
30.228
( North. I
i N.W. 5
Light breezes and hazy.
18
+ 24
+ 10
18.00
30.31
30.23
30.272
N.W.
Light breezes and fine.
19
+ 25
+ 10
17.75
30.27
30.24
30.258
North
Ditto ditto.
20
+ 25
+ 10
10.98
30.20
30.10
30.160
South.
Ditto ditto.
21
+ 29
+ 6
18.83
30.11
29.99
30.025
South.
Ditto ditto.
22
+ 32
+ 12
23.00
30.21
30.02
30.102
South.
Ditto ditto.
23
+ 34
+ 20
27.29
30.30
30 00
30.193
North to S.S.E.
Moderate breezes and cloudy.
24
+ 38
+ 25
32.71
30.12
29.75
29.893
E.S.E.
Fresh breezes and cloudy.
25
+ 40'.5
+ 32
36.33
29.99
29.74
29.870
N.W.
Moderate and cloudy.
26
+ 3G.5
+ 30
33.04
30.20
30.00
30.122
( S.S.E. bv West }
\ to N.N.W. ]
Light winds and fine.
27
+ 47
+ S2.5
39.17
30.02
29.93
29.982
South.
Light breezes and cloudy.
28
+ 37
+ 33
34.96
29.81
29.27
29.582
East.
Moderate and cloudy with rain, hail and snow.
29
+ 33
+ 24
.26.54
29.60
29.25
29.403
N.W.
Strong gales and hea^-y drift.
30
+ 38
+ 24
31.08
29.90
29.71
29.853
N.N W, to W.N.W.
Fresh breezes and fine.
31
■)3d
+ 27
30.92
+16.66
29.98
29.89
29.933
N.E.
Moderate and hazy with small snow.
+ 47 - 4
30.48
29.25
30.109
VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY. 181
CHAPTER VIII.
JOURNEY ACROSS MELVILLE ISLAND TO THE NORTHERN SHORE, AND RETURN
TO THE SHIPS BY A DIFFERENT ROUTE.
1 HE weather being favourable on the morning of the 1st of June, I made 1820.
such arrangements as were necessary, previous to my departure on our ,^^^
intended journey. I directed Lieutenants Liddon and Beechey to proceed Tlmrs. 1.
with all possible despatch in the equipment of the ships for sea, having them
ready to sail by the end of June, in order that we might be able to take
advantage of any favourable alteration in the state of the ice at an earlier
period than present appearances allowed us to anticipate.
The party selected to accompany me, out of the numerous volunteers on
this occasion, consisted of Captain Sabine, Messrs. Fisher, Nias, and Reid,
Serjeant M'Mahon, of the Marines, Serjeant Martin, of the Artillery, and
three seamen and two Marines, belonging to both ships, making a total of
twelve, including myself We were suppdicd with provisions for three weeks,
according to the daily proportion of one pound of biscuit, two-thirds of a
pound of Donkin's preserved meat, one ounce of salep powder, one ounce of
sugar, and half a pint of spirits, for each man. Two tents, of the kind called
in the army horsemen's tents, were made of blankets, with two boarding-
pikes, fixed across at each end, and a ridge rope along the top, which, |
with stones laid upon the foot of the blankets, made a very comfortable and I "- i
portable shelter. These tents, with the whole of the provisions, together with
a conjuror or cooking apparatus, and a small quantity of wood for fuel, amount-
ing in the whole to eight hundred pounds, were carried upon, a strong but light) ~"j
182 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
cart, constructed for the purpose ; this method having been decided on as the
most convenient for the country in which we were about to travel.
Each officer and man was also furnished with a blanket made into a bag,
with a drawing string at each end, a pair of spare shoes and stockings, a
flannel shirt, and a cap to sleep in. The clothing and blankets were carried
on our backs in knapsacks, those of the officers weighing from seventeen to
twenty-four pounds each, and one between every two men Aveighing twenty-
four pounds, to be carried for half a day alternately. Mr. Dealey, with a party
of three men, was appointed to attend us for the first day's journey, to assist
in carrying our baggage, and then to return to the ships. It was my intention
to proceed as directly north as possible, and if we came to the sea in that
direction, to turn to the westward, making such a circuit in returning to
Winter Harbour as might occupy from one to three weeks, according to cir-
cumstances. It was proposed to travel entirely at night, if any part of the
twenty-four hours could properly now be so called, Avhen the sun was con-
stantly above the horizon. This plan was considered to be advantageous, both
for the sake of sleeping during the warmth of the day, and to avoid, as much"
as possible, the glare of the sun upon the snow while travelling.
At five P.M., we left the ships, accompanied by a large party of officers
and men from each, who were desirous of relieving us from the weight of our
knapsacks for an hour or two ; and, having been cheered by the ships on our
departure, we went round the head of the harbour, and ascended the north-
east hill. This route was chosen on account of the ground being clear of
snow, only on the ridges and higher parts of the land. Our companions left
us at eight P.M., and we proceeded across a level plain almost entirely
covered with snow, which, however, was so hard as to make the travelling
very good ; and the cart was dragged along without difficulty. At eleven P.M.,
we came to three remarkable round hills, composed entirely of sand and
masses of sandstone, and halted to dine close to the northward of them.
Those parts of the land which were clear of snow, appeared to be more
productive than those in the immediate neighbourhood of W^inter Harbour,
the dwarf-willow, sorrel, and poppy (Papaver Nudicaule), being more abun*
dant, and the moss more luxuriant ; we could not, however, collect a suffi-
cient quantity of the slender wood of the Avillow in a dry state, for the pur-
pose of dissolving snow for water, and were, therefore, obliged to use a part
of the fuel which we had -provided for that purpose. The thermometer stood
at 31° atmidniffht. ■suiad 3ii to idi/.. >iiiff Mty >Miiq'mo
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 183
Having set off soon after midnight, at the distance of half a mile in aN.b.E. 1820.
direction, we came to a piece of frozen water half a mile in length, and two v,Ji^
hundred yards Avide, situated on the south side of the range of hills which ^'""'- ~-
bound the prospect from Winter Harbour. The i6e, on the surface of this
lake or pond, was in some parts nearly dissolved, and in all too soft to
allow us to cross it. We here saw a pair of ducks, one of which being
white and the other brown, we supposed them to be of that species called
king ducks (Anas Spectabilis.) We soon after came in sight of an extensive
level space to the north-westward, upon which not a single dark spot could
be distinguished, even with a glass, to break the uniformity of the snow
with which it was covered, till it appeared to terminate in a range of lofty
hills which we had occasionally seen from the southward, and which, from
the appearance given them by their distance, we had called the Blue Hills.
We had, for some time past, entertained an idea, from their bold and
precipitous appearance in some parts, that water would be found at the foot
of them ; and had we not been certain that we had now ascended three or four
hundred feet above the level of Winter Harbour, the appearance of the plain
before us, which resembled a branch of the sea covered with ice, would have
confirmed us in this idea. We halted at half-past six A.M., and pitched the
tents on the hardest ground we could find, but it became quite swampy in
the course of the day. We killed seven ptarmigan, and saw two plovers
(Charadrius Pluvialis), and two deer, being the first we had met with this season,
with a fawn, so small, as to leave no doubt of its having been dropped since
the arrival of the female upon the island. They were so wild as not to
allow us to approach them within a quarter of a mile. The day was fine
with light and variable airs ; the thermometer stood at 34°, in the shade, at
seven A.M., at which time it was unfortunately broken.
At five P.M., we struck the tents, and having detained one of Mr. Dealey's
party to accompany us, I despatched him to the ships with the others, and
then continued our journey to the northward, having first made the necessary
observations for determining our position. These and the rest of our abser-
vations for latitude and longitude, obtained during this jourrity, were made
with a sextant and artificial horizon, and the longitudes are by the chrono-
meter, No. 2109 of Arnold, which I carried in my pocket. t
As we proceeded to the northward, the delusion respecting the level plain
to the westward, began to wear off, some brown spots being here and there
perceptible with a glass, which left no doubt of its being principally, if not
184 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
entirely, land. Beyond this plain, however, there was a piece of bold land
in the distance, having every appearance of an island, lying between the Blue
Hills on the north, and some high land to the south. There was a bright and
dazzling ice-blink over the plain of snow, and exactly corresponding with it,
as to extent and position.
Sat. 18. Having halted three hours to dine and rest, we again set forward at
two A.M., on the 3d, crossing one or two ravines, running E.N.E. and
W.S.W., in which there was a large collection of snow, but as yet no
appearance of water in the bottom of them. Captain Sabine and myself being
considerably a-head of the rest of the party, had sat down to wait for
them, Avhen a fine rein-deer came trotting up, and played round us for
a quarter of an hour, within thirty yards. We had no gun, nor do I
know that we should have killed it, if we had, there being already as much
weight upon the cart as the men could well drag ; and having no fuel to
spare for cooking ; besides, we felt it would have been but an ill return for
the confidence which he seemed willing to place in us. On hearing our people
talking on the opposite side of the ravine, the deer immediately crossed
over, and went directly up to them, with very little caution ; and, they
being less scrupulous than we were, one or two shots were immediately
fired at him, but without efiect ; on which he again crossed over to where
we were sitting, approaching us nearer than before. As soon as we rose up
and walked on, he accompanied us like a dog, sometimes trotting a-head
of us, and then returning within forty or fifty yards. When we halted, at six
A.M., to make the usual observations, he remained by us till the rest of the
party came up, and then trotted off. The rein-deer is by no means a
o-raceful animal ; its high shoulders and an awkward stoop in its head, giving
it rather a deformed appearance. Our new acquaintance had no horns,
he was of a brownish colour, with a black saddle, a broad black rim
round the eyes, and very white about the tail. We observed that whenever
he was about to set off, he made a sort of playful gambol, by rearing on his
hind legs.
The latitude observed here was 75° 06' 58", the longitude 1 10° 30' 32", and
the variation of the magnetic needle 128° 30' 14." easterly. We had passed,
durino- our last march, a good deal of rich soil, consisting principally of
decayed moss and other vegetable substance mixed with sand ; and the sorrel
and saxifrage (Saxifraga oppositifolia) were more abundant than before.
A fog, which had prevailed during the early part of the day, having cleared
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 185
siway in the afternoon, we struck the tents at five P.M., and having travelled I820.
three quarters of a mile, came to a ravine not less than a hundred feet deep.
and in most parts nearly perpendicular. A place was at length found in which
the cart could be got across, which we succeeded in effecting, through very
deep snow, after an hour's labour. On the north side of this ravine large
masses of sand-stone were lying on the surface of the ground, over which the
cart could with difficulty be dragged ; and we remarked on this, and several
other occasions, that the stones which were bruised by the wheels emitted a
strong smell, like that of fetid limestone when broken, though we could never
discover any of that substance. In some of the sand-stone we found pieces
of coal embedded ; and some large pieces of a slaty kind of that mineral,
which burned indifferently, were also picked up in the ravine.
We had hitherto, as we judged, rather ascended than otherwise since
leaving the north-east-hill of Winter Harbour, and the height of this part
of the island may be estimated at three or four hundred feet above the level
of the sea. At two miles and a quarter to the northward of the ravine, we
entered upon a snowy plain, of which we could not see the termination to the
northward. Here and there only we came to a small patch of uncovered
land, on one of which we observed the sand and sand-stone to be tinged of a
light brick colour. We halted to dine before midnight, having made good,
by our account, a distance of only five miles, and that with difficulty, the snow
being soft, which made travelling very laborious. We found here nothing but
two small pools of dirty water, but, as it was of importance to save our wood in
case of accidents, we went on an allowance of half a pint of this water each,
rather than expend any of it in melting snow, a process requiring more fuel
than perhaps those who have never made the experiment are aware of. There
was no vegeta*'on in this place, even the poppy having now forsaken us.
At two o'clock on the morning of the 4th we continued our journey to the Sun.4.
northward, over the same snoAvy and level plain as before, than which it is
impossible to conceive any thing more dreary and uninteresting. It frequently
happened that, for an hour together, not a single spot of uncovered ground
could be seen. The few patches of this kind forcibly reminded one of the
description given of the oases in the deserts of Africa, not only because they
relieved us for a time from the intense glare of the sun upon the snow, which
was extremely oppressive to the eyes, but because it was on these alone that
we could pitch our tents to rest, or that we could expect to meet with any
water. The breeze freshened up to a gale from the S.S.E. as we proceeded,
186 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1820. and the men, as if determined not to forget that they were sailors, set a large
v.,^^ blanket upon the cart as a sail, which, upon the present level ground, was
found to be of material assistance. The snow was deep, and rather soft,
which made the travelling heavy ; and as the wind produced a good deal of
snow-drift, most of the bare patches of ground became covered up, so that
when our time for halting had arrived, not a piece of ground could be seen on
which to pitch the tents. Captain Sabine and myself went forward to look
out for a spot, and at length were fortunate to meet with one, on which there
was just room for our little encampment. It was with some difficulty, by
building a wall with stones and our knapsacks, that we prevented its being
covered with snow before the party came up, which they did at half-past
seven A.M., having travelled ten miles in a N.W.b.N. direction. We saw a
few fox-tracks, but no animals, nor the smallest symptom of vegetation,
during this march. It is not improbable, however, that these snowy plains,
when uncovered by the warmth of summer, may present a more luxuriant
vegetation than is elsewhere to be met with on this island.
By the time we had secured the tents the wind blew hard, with a continued
fall as well as drift of snow, so that we could not but consider ourselves for-
tunate in having met with a spot of ground in good time. Notwithstanding
the inclemency of the weather, we found the tents afford us very comfortable
and sufficient shelter, the cart being tilted up to windward of them, so as to
break in some measure the violence of the wind ; and when wrapped up, or rather
enclosed in our blanket-bags, we were generally quite warm enough to enjoy
the most sound and refreshing repose. I may here notice, once for all, that
the moment the tents were pitched, however short the time for which it was
proposed to halt, every man was directed immediately to change his shoes and
stockings, and at the same time had his feet examined by Mr. Fisher. As it
froze hard every night, we used only to get our things dried during the noon
halting, so that we were always under the necessity of putting on the same
wet boots and stockings after resting at midnight. This was the only way to
make certain of dry stockings for sleeping in, and as we were sure to be wet
in half an hour after starting, our putting on wet ones to walk in was of little
consequence. I insist the more on this circumstance, because it is to our at-
tention to these precautions that I attribute the good health we enjoyed
during the journey. To this, indeed, we had one exception. Captain Sabine
having suffered some uneasiness from indigestion, in consequence of having
eaten some of the salep-powder badly mixed ; but by attention to his diet,
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 187
together with a little medicine, the complaint was soon removed. It is scarcely
possible perhaps to imagine the comfort which was afforded in this instance
by the small quantity of fuel we were provided with, as it enabled us to
furnish Captain Sabine with one or two warm messes which chiefly contri-
buted to his recovery ; and we, therefore, determined to use no more of our
wood except under similar circumstances.
It continued to blow and snow till seven P.M., when the wind havino-
veered to the S.W., and become more moderate, we struck the tents ; and
having now placed the men's knapsacks on the cart to enable them to drag
with greater facility, we proceeded on our journey to the northward. We
passed a narrow but deep ravine lying across our course, in some parts of
which the snow reached nearly to a level with the banks, forming a kind of
bridges or causeways, on one of which we crossed without difficulty. The
men had hoisted one sail upon the cart at first setting off; but the wind being
now, as they expressed it " on the larboard quarter," a second blanket was
rigged as a main-sail, to their great amusement as well as relief.
After crossing a second ravine, on the north side of which the ground rose
considerably, we entered upon another snowy plain, where there was nothing
to be seen in any direction but snow and sky. To make it the more dreary,
a thick fog came on as the night advanced, and as this prevented our taking
any mark more than fifty or a hundred yards a-head, we had to place the
compass, by which we were now entirely travelling, upon the ground every
five minutes ; and as it traversed with great sluggishness, we made a
very crooked and uncertain course. For more than two hours we did not
pass a single spot of uncovered ground, nor even a stone projecting above
the snow.
The weather being at length too foggy to proceed, we sat down on our Mon. 5.
knapsacks for a short time, and then continued our journey, the fog being
somewhat less thick. At one A.M., we came to a few large stones sticking
up above the snow, and as the people were a good deal fatigued, and I was
at the same time desirous not to run the risk which might be incurred by
suffering them to lie upon the snow, we determined to try what could be
done in picking out the stones, one by one, and paving a spot for the tents
over it. This plan succeeded, and after an hour's work we completed a dry,
though hard flooring for our encampment. This being properly our dinner-
time for the 4th of June, though our meal had been unavoidably delayed
beyond that day, we did not forget to drink His Majesty's health in both
188 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
tents, not aware at the time that our venerable Monarch had many months
before paid the debt of nature.
The fog continued too thick to allow us to move till six A.M., at which
time we resumed our journey. There was a broad and distinct haze-bow of
very white and dazzling light directly opposite the sun. The weather being
still too foggy to see more than a quarter of a mile a-head, it was with con-
siderable difficulty that we could proceed on a tolerably straight course. To
effect this, it was necessary to determine the point on which we were walking
by the bearing of the sun, which was still visible, and the apparent time, and then
to take a mark a-head by which our course was to be directed. From the thick-
ness of the weather, however, it was necessary to repeat this operation every five
or ten minutes, which, together with the uniform whiteness and intense glare of
the snow, became so extremely painful to the eyes, that Mr. Fisher and myself,
who went a-head as guides, soon became affected with snow-blindness, and
the headmost man at the cart, whose business it was constantly to watch
our motions, began to suffer in a similar manner, and from the same cause.
We had now also frequent occasion to experience — what had so often occurred
to us during the winter, — the deception occasioned in judging of the magni-
tudes, and consequently the distances of objects, by seeing them over an un.
varied surface of snow ; this deception was now so much increased by the
thickness of the fog, that it frequently happened that, just as we had con-
gratulated ourselves on having pitched upon a mark at a sufficient distance
to relieve us from the necessity of straining our eyes for a quarter of
an hour, we suddenly came up to it ; and were obliged to search, and often
in vain, for another mark, at no great distance, and subject to the same
delusion.
It may, perhaps, be conceived, then, under these circumstances, how
pleasing Avas the relief afforded by our seeing, at eight A.M., a stripe of
black or uncovered land a-head, which proved to be the bank of a ravine
fifty or sixty feet deep, and three hundred yards wide, on the north side of
which we pitched the tents, having made good only one mile and a half,
the snow being so soft and deep as to make it difficult to drag the cart through
it. This ravine was full of innumerable masses of sand-stone, besides which
we could not find a single mineral substance of any other kind. By removing
any of these, we found abundance of pure water, which tempted us to take
this opportunity of cooking the grouse we had killed, on which we made a
most sumptuous meal before we retired to rest.
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 189
The latitude observed here was 75° 22' 43", and the longitude, by the IS'20.
chronometer, 111° 14' 26", in which situation a cylinder of tin, containing an ^^
account of our visit, was deposited under a pile of stones eight feet high,
and seven feet broad at the base. At half-past five P.M., we continued our
march in a north-easterly direction, the wind being moderate from the S.S.E.,
with fine weather. Another of our party complained of snow-blindness,
which always continued to be very painful during the time we were walking,
but was generally relieved by the usual cool bathing and a few hours' rest.
Our people were all supplied with crape veils, which, I believe, saved us a
good deal of uneasiness from this complaint.
On leaving the ravine, where we had last halted, we had entered on
another snowy plain similar to those I have before described ; and, after
travelling several miles over it without a single object to produce variety, or
to excite interest, came at length to a rising ground at half-past eleven, from
which we descried some dark-coloured ground to the north-eastward, and
shortly after some higher land at a considerable distance beyond it, in the
same direction. The intermediate space looked like a sea covered with ice,
or a very level snowy plain, and we were once more puzzled to know which
of these two it would prove. Having reached a good dry spot for the tents,
with plenty of water in the neighbourhood, we halted at midnight, having
marched seven miles and a half in a N. b. E. direction by account, but much
more easterly by subsequent observations. I cannot help remarking in this
place how extremely liable to error any account must necessarily be of the
course and distance made good during even a single day on a journey of this
nature. We had long been in the habit of deducing all our bearings and
courses on board the ships astronomically, that is, by the azimuth of the sun
and the apparent time ; and when I set out on this journey 1 had conceived
that this habit would have enabled me to make tolerably certain at least of
the direction in which our daily journey had been performed, whenever
the sun should be visible. That this was by no means the case, though every
possible attention was paid to it, will appear clear from an inspection of our
track upon the map, which is laid down by the actual observations of two
separate persons from day to day, and in which no material error could have
occurred. My reason for dwelling upon this circumstance is to point out the
extreme liability to error in laying down by account the position of any point
at which a traveller may arrive after a journey of several hundred miles. This
remark I cannot but consider to be peculiarly applicable to the journey of
190 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
Hearne from the Hudson's Bay settlements to the shores of the Polar Sea, on
the northern coast of America, in many hundred miles of which, and particularly
in the most interesting part, not a single observation for latitude and longi-
tude, or the variation of the magnetic needle, was obtained, whereby his
daily estimate could be corrected. Should, therefore, the geographical
position assigned by Hearne to the Copper-mine River be found at all near
the truth, more especially in longitude, it will prove an extraordinary instance
of the tendency of errors to correct each other ; such as, I believe, does not
often occur, when the distance gone over is so considerable, either by sea or
land.
Tiies. 6. The wind increased to a fresh breeze from the S.S.E. with a sharp frost,
making it very cold in the tents, which we therefore struck at four A.M., and
at the distance of half a mile came to the summit of a hill overlooking what
appeared to be a frozen sea before us. The distant high land beyond it to
the north-east, now appeared a separate island, which it afterwards proved
to be, and Avhich I named after my friend and fellow-traveller, Captain
Edward Sabine, of the Royal Artillery. The brow of this hill, which, from
the best estimate I could form, appeared to be from four to five hundred feet
above the level of the sea, was covered with large masses of sandstone, over
which we could scarcely get the wheels of the cart. We then descended the
hill, with the intention of pushing forward to detennine whether the white
and level space before us was the sea or not. We had not proceeded far,
however, when the clouds began to gather heavily in the south-east, and
shortly after snow and sleet began to fall. Being unwilling, therefore,
to allow the men's clothes to be wet, when there was no absolute occasion
for it, we halted on a piece of dry ground, and, having built a wall six feet
high to shelter us from the weather, pitched the tents very comfortably under
the lee of it, till the weather should allow us to proceed.
We here saw one or two flocks of geese, which, to judge from those which
we afterwards killed, were probably brent-geese fAnas BerniclaJ, and were
the first living animals we had met with for two or three days. We -had oc-
casionally, during that time, seen upon the snow the tracks of a solitary deer,
but even these seemed now to have deserted a place so totally devoid of
vegetation, that for miles together we scarcely met with a tuft of moss or a
single poppy on which they could have fed. The tracks of foxes and mice
were also occasionally seen, but we did not meet with any of these animals
in this dreary and uninteresting part of our journey.
t
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 191
At six P.M., the wind having gradually got round to the N.N.E., and the wea- i8'i(J.
ther being more clear and cold, I set out, accompanied by Messrs. Nias and ^^^^
Reid, and a quarter-master of the Griper, with the intention of examining the
situation and appearance of the sea to the northward ; leaving the rest of the
party, several of whom were suffering from snow-blindness, though otherwise
in good health, to remain quietly in the tents till our return. Having tra-
velled N.N.W. a mile and a half through much deep snow, of which a good
deal had fallen during the day, we came to some ice thrown up on the beach,
having cracks in it parallel to the line of the shore, which we immediately
recognised to be of the same kind as those to which we had so long been
accustomed in Winter Harbour, and which are occasioned by the rise and fall
of the tide. Such, however, was the sameness in the appearance of the sea
and of the low shelving shore interposed for two or three miles between it
and the hill we had descended in the morning, that, had it not been for the
circumstance I have just mentioned, we should still have been in great doubt
respecting the nature of the level space to the northward. The place where
we came to the sea happened to be near the outlet of a ravine, and the upper
surface of the ice was here covered with pools of fresh water, which had
probably been formed by the streams from the ravine, and which at a little
distance appeared, as usual, of a beautiful blue colour. We turned to the
westward along the beach, and at the distance of two miles ascended a point
of land in that direction, from whence we had a commanding view of the
objects around us. As soon as we had gained the summit of this point, which
is about eighty feet above the sea, and was named after Mr. Nias, we had an
additional confirmation that it was the sea which we had now reached, the
ice being thrown up on the beach under the point, and as far as we could
see to the westward, in large high irregular masses, exactly similar to those
which had so often afforded us anchorage and shelter upon the southern
shores of the island. Being desirous, however, of leaving nothing uncertain
respecting it, we walked out a few hundred yards upon the ice, and began
with a boarding-pike and our knives, which were all the tools we had, to
dig a hole in it, in order to taste the water beneath. After nearly two
hours' labour, however, we could only get down as many feet, the ice being
very hard, brittle, and transparent ; more so, as we imagined, than salt-
water ice usually is, which made us the more desirous to get through it. I,
therefore, determined to return to our people, and to remove our encamp-
ment to Point Nias, for the purpose of completing the hole through the ice
l®2 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1820. with all our hands, while we were obtaining the necessary observations
June. 1
y^^ry^^ on shore.
Wed. 7. On our return to the tents, we dined, and rested till one o'clock on the
morning of the 7th, when we set out for the Point, at which we did not arrive
till half-past four, the snow being here so deep as to make the cart an
improper, and, indeed, almost impracticable, mode of conveying our bag-
gage. It froze all day in the shade, with a fresh breeze from the north, and
though the tents were pitched under the lea of the grounded ice upon the
beach, we found it extremely cold ; all the pools of water were frozen hard
during the night, and some of our canteens burst from the same cause. The
people were allowed to rest after their supper till four P.M., and were then
set to work upon the ice, and in building a monument on the top of the
Point.
The latitude observed here was 75° 34' 47", the longitude 110° 35 52", and
the variation of the magnetic needle 135° 03' 55" Easterly. A series of angles
and astronomical bearings was here obtained for the survey of the coast, and
for detennining the position of Sabine Island, the north-western point of
. which, being bluff headland, was, by Captain Sabine's desire, named after
Colonel Mudge, of the Royal Artillery, one of the Commissioners of Longi-
tude. The land to the westward of Point Nias, sweeps round into a large
bay, terminating to the north-westward, in a bold Cape bearing N. 43° W.,
and distant from six to eight leagues, which I named after Mr. Fisher. The
easternmost part of Melville Island, here visible, was a low projecting point
bearing S. 77° E., and distant eight or nine miles, which was called Point
ReiDj after the gentleman of that name, who accompanied us.
A continuous line of very large hummocks of ice extended from Point
Nias, about two miles and a half in a N.N.E. direction ; they were the kind
of hummocks which always indicate the ice having met with resistance by
grounding ; and I have little doubt that a reef is clearly marked out by
them. What makes this more probable is, that in the whole space between
Points Nias and Reid, the ice near the shore seemed never to have been
disturbed by any pressure upon it, being, perhaps, defended by the reef from
the floes coming in from the north-west ; while the whole of the shore, as far
as I could see with a glass, to the westward of Point Nias, bore evident marks
of that tremendous pressure, which is produced by fields of ice when set in
motion.
The floe of ice proved to be fourteen feet four inches in thickness, and it
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 193
was ten at night before our people got through it, so as to admit the water ; 1820.
it then flowed up within fifteen inches of the upper surface of the ice, by vj^^
with some idea may be formed of the specific gravity of the latter. The
water was not very salt, owing probably to its acquiring a degree of fresh-
ness, in forcing itself through an aperture so small as to require three
quarters of an hour to fill up the hole to its proper level ; a small quantity
of it, however, was sufficient to convince each of us, that it was the sea upon
which we were standing, and a canteen was filled, in order to try its specific
gravity on our return to the ships. The thickness of the ice on this coast,
as compared with that in Winter Harbour, the former being double that of
the other, may at first sight appear to be an indication of a more severe
climate on this than on the southern coast of Melville Island ; but this cir-
cumstance is easily accounted for by observing, that the ice of a harbour
is, as we know by experience, the fomiation of a single winter ; whereas, on
an open and exposed beach, like that of Point Nias, the last year's, or sea-
ice, is at liberty to fix itself in the autumn, forcing up the masses which
we see aground in all such situations, and increasing, in the course of the
ensuing winter, to the thickness which we here found it to be. Had we
accidentally come to any bay or harbour, secure from the access of the floes
from without, and of the same depth as Winter Harbour, I doubt not we
should have found the ice in it of nearly the same thickness.
We saw nothing living in this spot, except a flock of five or six ducks,
none of which were killed. There was scarcely any thing, except a little
stunted moss and some lichens, which deserved the name of vegetation ; and
the only exception to the tiresome monotony of sandstone which had occurred
for many days past, consisted in two or three pieces of red granite, and
of red and white feldspar, which several hours' search enabled us to find.
Two pieces of drift-wood were also found upon the beach, from ten to
twenty feet above the present level of the sea ; they were both pine, one of
them being seven feet and a half long, and three inches in diameter, and the
other much smaller. They were both partly buried in the sand, and the
fibres were so much decayed and separated, as to fall to pieces upon being
taken hold of.
We dined at midnight; and at half past one A.M., on the 8th, struck Thurs. 8.
the tents, and drew the cart to the higher part of the Point, where we oc-
cupied two hours in completing our monument, which is of a conical form,
twelve feet broad at the base, and as many in height. Within it were deposited
194 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
a tin cylinder, containing an account of the party who had left it, and one
or two silver and copper English coins. This monument may be seen at
several miles' distance from the sea or land side ; and, as great pains were
taken by Mr. Fisher in constructing it, it may probably lasit for a long period
of years.
Having now satisfactorily determined the extent of Melville Island to the
northward upon this meridian, which corresponds very nearly with that of
Winter Harbour, and finished all the requisite observations, I proposed pursu-
ing our journey towards the Blue Hills, which were still in sight at the distance
of several leagues to the westward ; and having advanced to the south-west as
long as circumstances should appear to make it interesting or practicable, to
return by a circuitous route to the ships. We travelled in a W. | S. direction,
in order to keep on a ridge along the coast, which afforded the only tolerable
walking, the snow being very deep on the lower parts of the land. We had
to-day frequent occasion again to notice a strong smell produced by the
wheels of the cart going over the blocks of sandstone, similar to that of fetid
lime-stone when recently fractured. We halted at half-past seven A.M. on a
fine sandy ground, which gave us the softest, as well as the driest, bed which
we had yet experienced on our journey, and which was situated close to a little
hillock of earth and moss, so full of the burrows of hares as to resemble a
warren. We tried to smoke them out by burning port-fire, but none ap-
peared ; and it is remarkable that, though we constantly met with the dung
of these animals, especially in this place, where it occurred very abundantly,
we never saw one of them during the journey. As as soon we had halted,
we found that Mr. Reid's knapsack had dropped off the cart ; he had, there-
fore, to go back to look for it, and did not return till eleven o'clock, being so
much affected by snow-blindness as to be scarcely able to see his way to the
tents. This circumstance was sufficient to shew the advantage, and even the
necessity of travelling entirely by night under these circumstances, the
intense glare of light from the snow during the day inevitably producing
this painful irritation in the eyes. Our present station, which was about half-
a-mile distant from the sea, commanding an open view of Sabine Island and
Cape Fisher, and the weather being very clear for observations, a short base
was obtained for the survey, between this and Point Nias. The only birds
we «aw here were a pair of ptarmigans, which wene killed by Mr. Fisher.!
There was some moss, and a few short tufts of grass ; and we found, for the
first time this season, the Saxifraga Oppositifolia coming, out in flower.
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 195
remark which I afterwards found to occur in the Hecla's Meteorological
Journal at Winter Harbour on the following day.
At a quarter past five P.M. we resumed our journey to the south-west, and
soon after crossed a snowy plain a mile and a quarter in breadth, extending
to the sea to the north, and as far as the eye could reach to the south. When
we had travelled five miles, we began to ascend considerably, and were now
entering upon the Blue Hills, the higher parts of which, however, were three
or four leagues distant to the westward of us. Having travelled S.W. b. W.
seven miles, we halted, at half-an-hour before midnight, at the distance of
three or four miles from the sea, the weather being very clear and fine, with
a moderate breeze from the S.S.W. During the last march we passed
over much uneven ground, of which a great deal was extremely wet ;
moss, saxifrage, and short tufts of grass here became more abundant, and,
interspersed among the former, some sorrel began to make its appear-
ance. One or two pieces of red granite, and some of feldspar, were all that
occurred in this way to repay the tedious search which we had for many days
been making to discover any thing but sand-stone.
Having rested, after our dinner, till half-past two A.M., we set out again Frid. 9.
to the south-west, making, however, a very crooked course on account of the
irregularity of the ground. Although this circumstance made the travelling
somewhat more laborious, we were glad to be among the hills, being heartily
tired of the sameness which the snowy plains and low grounds present. In
the first quarter of a mile, we passed the first running stream which we had
seen this season, and this was but a small one, from six to twelve inches deep.
The ground as well as the pools of water was frozen hard during the
last night, but thawed during the day, which made travelling worse and
worse as the sun acquired power. We passed a few deers' horns, killed
three ptarmigans, and saw a pair of ducks. The plumage of the cock-grouse
was still quite white, except near the tip of the tail, where the feathers were
of a fine glossy black ; but in every hen which we had lately killed, a very
perceptible alteration was apparent, even from day to day, and their plumage
had now nearly assumed that speckled colour which, from its resemblance to
that of the ground, is so admirably adapted to preserve them from being seen
at the season of their incubation. We found it difficult in general to get near
the hens, which were very wild ; but the male birds were at all times stupidly
tame. Serjeant Martin, who was well acquainted with birds, reported having
seen a pair of bank-swallows (Hirundo Riparia.J We halted at seven A.M.,
196 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
having made only three or four miles, and found abundance of water, which
allowed us the comfort of washing our flannel shirts and putting on clean
ones. From this time, indeed, we had rather more water than we wanted,
the abundance of it making a great deal of swampy ground, through which
the cart was dragged with great difficulty. The latitude observed at this
station was 75° 26' 43 ", the longitude by chronometer being 111° 22' 41".
We pursued our journey at half-past five P.M., and found the ground ex-
tremely wet and swampy, which made the walking very laborious ; but we
remarked that our feet always came to the frozen ground at the depth of eight
or ten inches, even in those parts which were the most soft. At the distance
of two miles and a half, we came to a ravine of which the principal branch,
being not less than a quarter of a mile wide, took a N.N.E. and S.S.W. di-
rection, and had a considerable stream of water running to the northward.
Another branch from the S.E., which we crossed, was three hundred yards
wide, and was as yet quite dry at the bottom. As the night came on, the
weather became overcast, and a good deal of snow fell ; from which, however,
the people were sheltered by the sail which a fresh northerly wind once
more enabled them to set on the cart. Two other ravines occurred within
three quarters of a mile, apparently connected with the large one, and which
it required our utmost exertion to cross, the water being higher than our knees
in the middle, and the whole of the sides of the ravine covered with deep
and soft snow, into which the wheels of the cart sunk nearly to the axle, so
that we could only get it across by what sailors call a " standing pull." The
men having got their trowsers wet, we continued our journey till half-past
eleven, to give them a chance of drying, and then halted, having only tra-
velled four miles in a S.W. direction. We met with abundance of sorrel in
some parts of this journey ; its leaves were as yet scarcely the size of a six-
pence, and almost entirely red. A few ptarmigans and a couple of geese were
all the living animals seen, but we passed several tracks and horns of deer.
Sat. 10. At half-past two A.M., on the 10th, we struck the tents, and proceeded to
the S.W., the wind having got round to the S.E., with continued snow. At
the distance of two miles we entered upon a level plain three miles wide,
which, with the exception of a patch here and there, was entirely covered
with snow. The uncovered parts of this plain were so wet as to be almost
impassable for the cart ; and we were now as desirous of keeping on the snow
as, at the beginning of our journey from Winter Harbour, we had been
anxious to avoid it. The plain terminated by a ravine, on the south bank of
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 197
which, finding good ground for the tents, and plenty of water, we halted at 1820.
a quarter-past seven, being in latitude by observation 75° 20' Si", the longi- Z^^
tude by account 111° 42' 15".
The weather continued hazy, with snow occasionally, but our clothes
dried in the sun towards noon ; soon after which, however, the snow
became more thick and constant, so that we could scarcely see a hun-
dred yards around the tents. We waited for some time in hope of the
weather clearing, and then, at a quarter-past five, continued our journey ;
as we were under the necessity, however, of directing our course entirely
by compass, which is here a very uncertain and deceitful guide, we made
but a slow and tedious progress. The wind freshened up to a gale from the
S.E. soon after we had set out, which made it impossible for us any longer
to pursue our journey, and we began to look out for a spot on which the
tents could be pitched, so as to aflbrd us a dry flooring, if not shelter,
during the gale. Having crossed three ravines within a mile and a quarter,
we at length came to a very deep one, which was nearly perpendicular
on each side, with the snow over-hanging in some parts, so as to make
it dangerous to go near the edge of the bank. We were at length for-
tunate in finding a narrow sloping ridge of snow, leading down to the
bottom of the ravine, and having descended this with some difficulty, we
found such good shelter as to determine me to halt here for the night, which
now became more and more inclement. The bottom of the ravine, in which
there was not much water, abounded with schistose sandstone, with which a
dry and comfortable flooring was soon paved for the tents, taking care to
pitch them at a sufficient distance from the north bank of the ravine, under
which a number of large masses of snow were lying, which had lately fallen
from the over-hanging part of the cliff*, not less than eighty or a hundred feet
perpendicular in this place.
The weather continued very inclement during the night, but we were so Sun. li.
well sheltered, as to be very comfortable in the tents, which answered every
purpose for which they were intended, and without which no warmth
could have been obtained while resting. I may also here remark, that the
mode we had adopted with the blankets, of making them into bags, ap-
peared the warmest, and in every respect the most comfortable as well as con-
venient which could have been devised. The wind gradually veered to the
N.N.W. in the morning, and the weather having cleared up about half-past
four we struck the tents, and set off to the southward. The south bank of the
198 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1820. ravine being nearly as steep, and much higher than the other, it weis with
^'^^ considerable labour and difficulty that we were able to get the cart up it,
in which, however, we succeeded by six o'clock, when we found that we
were travelling on much higher ground than before, overlooking that which
we had left the preceding evening. Having proceeded four miles over a level
country, with much snow upon it, we suddenly and unexpectedly came in
sight of the sea, or a lake, at the distance of two or three miles before
us, just appearing between two high and steep hills which terminated a
deep and broad ravine. In a short time, we opened out an island, which
was soon recognised to be the same which we had seen to the eastward of
us, on our journey to the north, and which we now found to be situated in
this lake or gulf. We hastened forward to the point of the nearest hill,
from whence the prospect was extremely grand and picturesque. We
were looking down nearly perpendicular from a height of eight or nine
hundred feet, on an extensive plain of ice, of which, to the westward,
we could perceive no termination for a distance of five or six leagues,
the prospect to the eastward being obstructed by other hills. A thick
mist or vapour was at times carried rapidly along by the wind over this
ice, to which it was entirely confined, occasionally covering the top of
the island with a dense cloud. The impression made upon our minds at the
time was, that it was a frozen lake on which we were now looking ; but this
conjecture, as it afterwards appeared, proved erroneous. The ravine at which
we had arrived discharges its waters into a snug cove two or three miles deep,
which was named after Mr. Bushnan, and at the head of which we now pro-
posed resting, if a place could be found at which our descent into the ravine
could be effected. The sides of the ravine, w^hich were very steep, were
covered with innumerable blocks of sandstone of every size and shape, over
which alone any road could be found to the cove below. It was necessary,
therefore, to make the attempt, but it was impossible for the best built carriage
to travel long on such a road ; and when we had half descended the bank,
which led into the rav^ine on its north side, the axle-tree broke short in the
middle. The baggage was therefore taken ofl^, and carried down to the
bottom, where the tents were pitched at eleven A.M., the wheels being left
where the cart broke down, as sound as at first.
The latitude observed here was 75° 12' 50", the longitude, by chrono-
meter, lir 50' 05", and the variation of the magnetic needle 125° 12' 22'
Easterly. The wind being fresh from the W.N.W., and the weather being
1
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 199
cold and raw, we built a wall to windward of the tents, as a substitute for l^'^*^-
the usual shelter afforded by the cart; after supper, the people being a v-^-v^
good deal fatigued, were allowed to rest till near midnight, and then em-
ployed in arranging the baggage, so as to carry it on our shoulders for the
rest of the journey. We saw here a great number of brent-geese, some
ptarmigan, and many snow-buntings ; the constant and cheerful note of the
latter reminded us of a better country. The wood which composed the light
frame-work of the cart being now disposable as fuel, we were glad to make
use of it in cooking a few ptarmigan, which afforded us another sumptuous
meal. It is not, perhaps, easy for those who have never experienced it, to
imagine how great a luxury any thing warm in this way becomes, after living
entirely upon cold provisions for some time in this rigid climate. This
change was occasionally the more pleasant to us, from the circumstance of
the preserved meats, on which we principally lived, being generally at this
time hard frozen, when taken out of the canisters.
Having finished our arrangements with respect to the baggage, which Mon 1-2.
made it necessary that each of the men should carry between sixty and
seventy pounds, and the officers from forty to fifty ; we struck the tents at
half-past two on the morning of the 12th, and proceeded along the eastern
shore of the Cove, towards a point which forms the entrance on that side.
The rocks above us, which here approach the sea within fifty yards, were
composed of sandstone in horizontal strata ; and, in many parts of the cliffs
which overlook the Cove, their appearance resembled more the ruins of
buildings than the work of nature. Large fragments of stones which had
fallen from above, were strewed about at the base of these precipices,
filling up nearly the whole space between them and the beach. The head
of Bushnan Cove is one of the pleasantest and most habitable spots we
had yet seen in the Arctic Regions, the vegetation being more abundant
and forward than in any other place, and the situation sheltered and favour-
able for game. We found here a good deal of moss, grass, dwarf-willow,
and saxifrage, and Captain Sabine met with a ranunculus in full flower.
We arrived at the Point at five o'clock, and as we could now perceive that
the lake or gulf extended a considerable distance to the eastward, as well
as to the westward, and that it would require a long time to go round in
the former direction, I determined to cross it on the ice ; and as the distance
to the opposite shore seemed too great for one journey, the snow being
soft upon the ice, first to visit the island, and having rested there, to proceed
260^ VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1820. to the southward. Havins: walked five miles in a S.S.W. direction, we landed
at seven A.M., near the south-east part of the island, which I named after
my friend Mr. Hooper. We had now little doubt that we had been tra-
velling over a gulf of the sea, as we had not seen any land enclosing it to the
westward, for more than two points of the compass, the weather being
very clear ; but, as nothing could make this absolutely certain but tasting
the salt-water, I had just signified my intention of occupying the rest of the
day in digging a hole through the ice for this purpose, when one of the party
having gone to a pool on the floe for some water to drink, found it to be
quite salt, and thus saved us any further trouble or doubt respecting it.
The wind was fresh from the westward, and the tents were pitched near the
beach, under the lee of the high part of the island. Captain Sabine and
myself, having ascended to the top, which is on the east side from five to six,
and on the west, about seven hundred feet above the sea, and in many
parts nearly perpendicular, we had a commanding view of this fine
gulf, which I named after my much-esteemed friend and brother-officer.
Lieutenant Liddon. The entrance of the gulf to the westward was now
very apparent, the head-lands which appeared to terminate its north and
south shores being distant from us from five to seven leagues. I named
them after Lieutenants Beechey and Hoppner, and their astronomical bear-
ings were S. 86° W., and S. 65° W. respectively.
The north shore of Liddon's Gulf, being the termination of the Blue Hills
to the south-west, is high, bold and precipitous as far to the eastward as
Bushnan Cove, and its formation appeared, with a glass, to be the same as in
that neighbourhood; beyond this, to the eastward, the land becomes low,;
and the gulf takes a bend to the north-east. In this direction we could not
distinguish its extent, but we must have passed at no great distance from the
head of it on the 4th. A bluff" cape on this shore, which is seen very
conspicuously on a clear day from the Table-hill of Winter Harbour, was
named after Mr. Edwards, Tvho had been the first among us to conjecture
from its appearance, that water would be found at its foot. Immediately to
the westward of Cape Edwards the land recedes, forming a bay, called
Barry's Bay, of which our situation and distance did not allow us to
spe the extent. We found that the nearest land to us on the opposite
shore was not on the south coast of the gulf, as we had supposed, but
a point to the E.S.E., for which it was, therefore, proposed that we
should next cross the ice : the south shoi-e is all high and steep, but
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 201
much less so than the north ; its nearest part was seven or eight miles 1 820.
distant. ^^
Hooper's Island is principally composed of the same stratified sand-stone as
the adjacent shores ; on the top of the island, however, we also found a great
deal of clay iron-stone, varying in colour from fine chocolate to dark blue,
some of which was remarkably compact and heavy ; and several lumps of
calcareous spar, or crystallized carbonate of lime, were picked up on the
beach. We met with little or no vegetation, a few stunted tufts of moss
being, I believe, all that occurred in that Avay. There were a great many
brent-geese on the beach, of which four were killed, weighing about four
pounds each when shot, and two pounds when ready for dressing. We saw
also several grouse, a great many snow-buntings, whose lively note still
saluted us wherever we Avent, a raven, and an ivory gull. The latitude, ob-
served at the tents, was 75° 05' 18", the longitude, by chronometer 111° 56' 58",
and the variation of the magnetic needle 123° 47' 58" easterly.
We rested till six P.M., and then set ofi^" across the ice for the point. The
snow had now become so soft after the heat of the day, that, loaded as we
were, we often sunk nearly up to the knees, which made travelling very
laborious, and we were, therefore, not sorry to get on shore by half-past eight,
having walked, by our account, three miles and a half. On landing we saw
two deer, but they were too shy to allow our sportsmen to come near them.
We directed our course to the south-east, along a narrow ridge of land inter-
posed between the sea and a lagoon, which now made its appearance at the
back, and which is about three-quarters of a mile long in a north-east direction,
and a quarter of a mile Avide. It communicates with the gulf by a narrow
opening, only forty or fifty yards across, which, as well as the lagoon, was
still completely frozen over. In this neighbourhood we picked up the root
and three feet of the trunk of a small pine-tree, about fifteen feet above the
present level of the sea. We passed also a part of the skeleton of a musk-ox,
frozen hard into the ground. The soil here became very rich, and abounded
with the finest moss, together with a great deal of grass, saxifrage and poppy;
and the quantity of dung Avhich covered the ground shewed it to be a feeding-
place for the deer, musk-oxen, and hares: the tracts of the former were
numerous and recent. We halted at half-past eleven. Hooper's Island being
distant from us five miles and a half in a W. b. N. direction. The night Avas
remarkably clear and fine, with a light wind from the westAvard.
The spot on which we encamped appeared so favourable for obtaining
3C^ VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1820. specimens of the different animals which frequent this island, that I deter-
vj!l^i^ mined to remain here one day for the purpose of sporting and examining
its natural productions. The latitude observed at the tent was 75° 02' 37",
the longitude, by the chronometer, 111° rS7' 10", and the variation 126° 01' 48"
easterly ; from this station astronomical bearings were obtained for the survey
of the gulf.
Tues. 13. The sportsmen went oat early in the morning, and soon after met with a
musk-ox feeding on a spot of luxuriant pasture-ground, covered with the dung
of these animals, as well as of deer. They fired at him from a considerable
distance, without wounding him, and he set off at a very quick pace over
the hills. The musk-ox has the appearance of a very ill-proportioned little
animal, its hair being so long as to make its feet appeal* only two or three
inches in length ; they seem, indeed, to be treading upon it at every step, and
the individual in question actually did so in some instances, as the hair was
found in several of the foot-tracts. When disturbed and hunted, they frequently
tore up the ground with their horns, and turned round occasionally to look at
their pursuers, but they never attempted to attack any of them. Our
gentlemen also met with a herd of twelve deer, three only of which had
horns, and they were much the largest of the herd, and constantly drove
the others away when they attempted to stop. The birds seen by our people
were many brent-geese and ptarmigans, several golden plovers, one or two
" boatswains" (Lestris Parasiticus), and abundance of snow-buntings. One
or two mice (Mus Hudsonius) were caught ; like several others we had seen,
these were turning brown about the belly and head, and the back was of a
dark grey colour. In every part of the island over which we travelled, the
holes and tracts of these lirtle animals were occasionally seen ; one of them
which Serjeant Martin ran after, finding no hole near, and that he could not
escape, set himself against a stone, as if endeavouring to defend himself,
and bit the Serjeant's finger when he took hold of him.
On a point of land at the distance of three-quarters of a mile to the W.b.S.
of the tents, and within a hundred yards of the sea, the remains of six
Esquimaux huts were discovered ; they consisted of rude circles, about six
feet in diameter, constructed irregularly of stones of all sizes and shapes,
and raised to the height of two feet from the ground ; they were paved with
large slabs of white schistose sandstone, which is here abundant ; the moss
had spread over this floor» and appeared to be the growth of three or
four years. In each of t|he hats, on. one side, was a small separate com-
i
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 208
partment forming a recess, projecting outwards, which had probably been 1820.
their store-room ; and at a few feet distant from one of the huts was a ^^J^
smaller circle of stones, which had composed the fire-place, the mark of
fire being still perceptible upon them. The huts which we had seen upon
Byam Martin Island, as well as those which we had visited on the coast of
Greenland in 1818, had each one of these small circles attached to them ; there
was also a separate pile of stones at a little distance from the huts, on which
the ptarmigan had lately taken up their abode, and which was probably
another fire-place. If the Esquimaux derive any part of their subsistence
from the land, and are under the necessity of coming to this high latitude in
quest of it, they will, perhaps, no where find better fare for a month or six
weeks than in this neighbourhood, for I have no doubt that, in the months of
July and August, the game is here in great plenty. It is scarcely possible,
however, upon the whole, that these people could long subsist on any part of
Melville Island, the summer season being much too short to allow them to lay in
a sufficient stock of provisions for a long and severe winter. It was remarked
by Captain Sabine and Mr. Fisher, who had both landed on Byam Martin
Island, that the huts we had now discovered appeared to be more recently
deserted than the others.
The day was fine and clear, with a moderate wind from the westward till
four P.M., when it died away, and was shortly after succeeded by a breeze
from the southward, with a fall of snow. When we were setting oif to the
southward, a herd of five deer came towards the tents, but we did not
succeed in killing any of them. We now travelled due south with the inten-
tion of getting sight of the Table-hills, and returning by that route to the
ships, as there appeared to be nothing more within our reach of sufficient
interest to detain us any longer from them. At eight P.M., finding that the
people's clothes were becoming wet through by the sleet which fell, we
halted and pitched the tents, the wind having freshened up to a strong
breeze from S.E.b.S., and the night being very inclement. There was here
a great deal of clay mixed with the soil, and the sandstone began to be
almost entirely of a greenish colour.
Early in the morning of the 14tli, the wind veered to the westward, and Wed. 14.
the weather became gradually more clear ; we therefore continued our
journey to the southward, and having passed over several ridges of high
ground lying across our track, and crossed some ravines lying in a N.E. and
S.W. direction, we came in sight of the Table-hills bearing S.E. of us, and
30^ VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1820. at eight A.M, pitched the tents on some dry ground on the bank of a ravine.
.,j^!^ Two of the men complained of disordered bowels during the last march, occa-
sioned, as they supposed, by having taken too copious a draught of very
cold water at setting out in the morning. They were quite relieved, how-
ever, by a few hours' rest, and our snow-blindness had now completely
left us. The snow-buntings, the only birds seen, were here very nu-
merous, and were flying about our tents all day like sparrows. We
moved on towards the Table-hills at five P.M., and crossed several ravines
without much water in them, running generally to the north-eastward, and
which therefore, probably, empty themselves into Liddon's Gulf As the
Table-hills are almost entirely composed of the debris of limestone, while we
had hitherto met with nothing but sandstone, we were anxious to observe
when the former would be found to commence, but we met with none of it
till within a few hundred yards of the hills, when it began to occur in
small pieces lying on the surface, with a little granite and feldspar, the
soil being still quite sandy. We halted between the Table-hills at ten o'clock,
having travelled eight miles over very swampy ground, and with the snow up
to our knees in some of the hollows. We met with no living animals during
this part of the journey, and it may be remarked, generally, that we always
found the game of every kind more abundant near the sea than inland,
except on the north coast of Melville Island, which is too barren to afford
them subsistence.
Thiir. 15. As I was desirous of remaining here till after noon, to obtain observations for
determining the situation of the Table-hills, the easternmost of which is the
most conspicuous object on this part of the coast, as well as a mark for the
anchorage in the Bay of the Heclaand Griper, the people were employed early
in the morning in carrying stones to the top of it, where a monument ten feet
high, and the same in breadth at its base, was erected by Mr. Fisher
and a copper cylinder, containing a full account of our visit, deposited
within it. In the meantime. Captain /Sabine and myself were occupied in
obtaining the necessary observations, by which the latitude of the hill was
found to be 74° 48' 33', its longitude 111° 11' 49", and tire variation of the
magnetic needle 123° 05° 30" Easterly. Having before given some account
of the minerals found in this neighbourhood, I shall only add on this subject,
that, among the mineralogical specimens now added to our collection, was
a piece of fossil wood, found at the foot of the westernmost of the two hills,
lying loosely and separately upon the sand. It may be imagined, that
i
OF A I>fORTH-\VEST PASSAGE. 205
we looked anxiously towards the sea for any appearance of open water in 1820.
the offing, but nothing of this kind was visible, though the prospect was a ^'^
commanding one, as far to the westward as a S.S.W. bearing.
As soon as the observations were completed, we set off for Winter Harbour,
and having passed over much rich and wet ground, abounding with sorrel,
which now began to put forth its leaves with more vigour, arrived on board
at seven P.M., having been met, and welcomed most heartily, by almost
every officer and man belonging to the ships ; and it was no small satis-
faction to me to hear it remarked, that the whole of our travelling party
appeared in more robust health thap when we left them.
VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
CHAPTER IX.
OCCURRENCES AT WINTER HARBOUR IN THE EARLY PART OF JUNE
GRADUAL DISSOLUTION OP THE ICE UPON THE SEA, AND OP THE SNOW
UPON THE LAND — HUNTING PARTIES SENT OUT TO PROCURE GAME — ■
DECEASE AND BURIAL OF WILLIAM SCOTT — EQUIPMENT OF THE SHIPS
COMPLETED TEMPERATE WEATHER DURING THE MONTH OF JULY
BREAKING UP OF THE ICE NEAR THE SHIPS — MOVE TO THE LOWER
PART OF THE HARBOUR — SEPARATION OF THE ICE AT THE ENTRANCE
PREPARE TO SAIL— ABSTRACT OF OBSERVATIONS MADE IN WINTER
HARBOUR.
Jung' 1 HAD the happiness to find, on my return, that the officers and men in
both ships continued to enjoy the same good health as before, with the
exception of Scott, who was still the only man in the Hecla's sick-list,
and whose complaint seemed such as to baffle every attempt that had been
made to produce an amendment. A constant disposition to fainting and
a languid sort of despondency had been, for some time past, the only
symptoms which induced Mr. Edwards to continue the anti-scorbutic treat-
ment, and this it Avas sometimes absolutely necessary to discontinue for a
day or two together, on account of the weak state of his bowels. During
my absence he had been much worse than before, notwithstanding the
greatest care and attention paid to him, but he was now once more better.
He had lived almost entirely on the ptarmigan and ducks, of which a suf-
ficient quantity had been procured to serve the sick and convalescent in
both ships abundantly, and none had at this time been issued to any other
officer or man in the expedition.
The equipment of the ships had gone on satisfactorily during my absence,;
the Griper being nearly ready for sea, the Hecla not quite so forward, on ac-
count of the heavy work with the ballast, of which sixty-five tons had been
brought on board to supply the deficiency of weight in her holds. Thei]
survey of the provisions, fuel, and other stores was completed, and the
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 207
quantity and condition of them, with the exception of the lemon-juice and isio.
vinegar before mentioned, were found to be satisfactory. Indeed, the .^^^
whole of the provision was ascertained to be as good as when it came out
of store, more than twelve months before, except a small quantity of bread
and of sugar on the outside part of a few casks, on which a little moisture
appeared, and which made it expedient to use those articles first. This
excellent state of our provisions must, independently of the antiseptic pro-
perties of a cold climate, which is unfavourable to the process of putrefaction
or the accumulation of vermin, be mainly attributed to the care which had
been taken to supply us with every article of the best quality, and to pack the
whole in strong, tight casks, which were at once impervious to water, and
less liable to damage by accidents in the hold. With respect to vermin, I
may here mention, that not a mouse, or rat, or maggot of any kind, ever
appeared on board, to my knowledge, during this voyage.
A very perceptible change had taken place in the ice of the harbour
on its upper surface, it being covered with innumerable pools of water,
chiefly brackish, except close in-shore, where the tides had lifted the ice
considerably above the level of the sea.
Previously to the continuance of the narrative of occurrences subsequently
to my return from the land-journey, it may be proper to give some account
of the observations made on board the ships by Lieutenants Liddon and
Beechey, during my absence from Winter Harbour.
From these it appears, that the first red phalarope, (Phalaropus Platyrinchos), Frid.'2.
and also the first flock of snow-buntings which had been observed at Winter
Harbour this season, were seen on the 2d of June. It is perhaps worthy of
remark that, from eight P.M. on the 1st, till midnight on the 2d, being an
interval of twenty-eight hours, the mercury in the barometer remained
steadily at thirty inches, without varying a single hundredth. The weather
was cloudy, and the wind rather variable, though moderate from the north-
ward and westward during that time, and two or three fine days succeeded
it, though with some appearance occasionally of rain or snow.
A flock of twelve king-ducks, flying to the north-east, together with a Sat. 3.
single raven and an arctic gull, made their appearance on the 3d, and a
golden plover was also killed, and a few others seen on that day. The ther-
mometer rose in the shade from 29° at 4 A.M., to 43° at noon, which is one
of the greatest changes that was experienced in the course of one day at
this part of the scale.
208 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1820. On the 4th, Lieutenant Liddon caused His Majesty's birth-day to be
vj!^ commemorated in the best manner that the situation of the ships Avould
Sun. 4 permit, by hoisting the ensigns and pendants, and directing full allowance
of provisions to be served to the crews. It is remarkable that, at Winter
Harbour, the weather was fine, and the wind moderate from the S.S.W.,
during the 4th, while, at a few leagues' distance to the northward, we
experienced a heavy gale from the southward, with continued snow and a
Mon. 5. heavy drift. On the 5th, the officers remarked a more perceptible thaw
than before, both on shore and on the ice, many pools of water having appeared
in new places on the latter, and the snow disappearing fast from the land,
though no streams of water were yet seen in the neighbourhood of Winter
Harbour. Flocks of ducks and geese were from this time seen almost daily
for the next six weeks, except immediately about the ships, from which the
game of every kind was scared soon after their arrival from the southward.
Wed. 7. On the 7th, Lieutenant Liddon walked over the ice to the entrance of the
harbour, where there was not even so much alteration perceptible as about
the ships ; indeed, every thing remained exactly the same, to all appearance,
as in the middle of winter. At five P.M., the weather being hazy, and a
light shower of snow falling, a strongly prismatic rainbow appeared, a
phenomenon of rare occurrence in these regions ; it had, I believe, nothing
Fiid. 9. about it different from those observed in other climates. On the 9th, the
first seal was seen, lying upon the ice, near the mouth of the harbour, and
having a hole close to him, as usual ; as we never saw more than one of these
animals here at a time, and that very rarely, it was common for us, when-
ever this did occur, to remark that the seal had been seen, and the same
mode of expression was as nati^rally and more justly applied to the bear seen
in the autumn soon after our arrival here. So few, indeed, are the animals
in this neighbourhood, which either live in the sea, or derive their subsist-
ence from it, that it is scarcely possible that the Esquimaux, who depend
chiefly, if not entirely, upon them for provision, could long exist on the
shores of Melville Island. About this time several mosquitoes (Ciilex Pipiens)
were caught, but they were never of the least annoyance to us, as is the
case on the shores of Hudson's Bay, and in other cold countries ; nor
indeed, did I hear of any of our people having once been bit by them.
The buds of the Saxifraga Oppositifolia, and of the dwarf- willow, were
observed to be opening out on the 9th, and some of the sorrel to be in
flower ; a plant with a flower of a lilac colour, having a very sweet smell.
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 209
and which we supposed to be a Draba, was also observed to be pushing out 1820.
its blossoms about this time ; but none of these plants were so forward as \.*-^->L<
the saxifrage.
On the 11th, another instance occurred of a remarkable difference in
the weather in Winter Harbour, and at no great distance to the northward of
it, the weather being described in the Meteorological Journals of the ships,
as very inclement, with a gale of wind from the westward, while, near
Bushnan Cove, we enjoyed a clear and moderate day. Some hares were
seen, for the first time, to the eastward of the ships.
Some of the officers returned on the 14th, after an excursion of two days Wed. 14.
to the eastward, bringing with them three brent-geese, six brace of ptar-
migan, and a golden plover, and having seen several hares. Mr. Beverly
describes the soil upon the hills to be composed of clay, and the large
masses of sandstone which are found on the surface as much impregnated
with iron. The first rein-deer were seen from the ships this day ; and it was
conjectured by the officers, from the situation in which they were observed,
and from their setting off directly to the northward, that they had just landed
upon the island.
Being desirous of procuring as much game as possible during the remainder pi-ij jg.
of the time we might be destined still to remain in our present inactive state,
and finding .that the short daily excursions which our sportsmen were enabled
to make in the usual way, did not take them to a sufficient distance from the
ships for this purpose, I directed a party of officers and men to be pre-
pared from each ship, under Lieutenants Beechey and Hoppner, to remain a
few days out, at the distance of ten or twelve miles to the eastward and
westward of the harbour, and to send in their game whenever any should be
procured. They accordingly left the ships this evening, carrying with them
tents, blankets, fuel, and the same allowance of provisions as was issued on
board. Lieutenant Hoppner, who commanded the party which went to the
south-west, was directed carefully to watch the ice, that any appearance of
its breaking up might immediately be made known to me. Captain Sabine
and his men were indefatigably employed during the day in pitching a
laboratory-tent, having a marquee within it, for the reception of the clocks,
it being his wish, now that the weather was more favourable for the purpose,
to occupy the whole of the time which might elapse previously to the sailing
of the Expedition, in making a fresh series of observations for the pendulums.
At half an hour before midnight, a triple rainbow appeared, the outer arch
310 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1820. being quite complete, and strongly tinged with the prismatic colours ; the second
v.^vO nearly perfect ; and the inner one being only perceptible near its eastern leg.
Sat. 17. A fog in the early part of the morning, being dispersed by the warmth
of the sun, the weather became fine and pleasant. Having observed
that the sorrel was now so far advanced in foliage as to be easily
gathered in sufficient quantity for eating, I gave orders that two after-
noons in each week should be occupied by all hands in collecting the
leaves of this plant ; each man being required to bring in, for the present,
one ounce, to be served in lieu of the lemon-juice, pickles, and dried herbs
which had been hitherto issued. The growth of the sorrel was from this
time so quick, and the quantity of it so great on every part of the ground
about the harbour, that we shortly after sent the men out every afternoon for
an hour or two ; in which time, besides the advantage of a healthy walk, they
could without difficulty pick nearly a pound each, of this valuable antiscor-
butic, of which they were all extremely fond. A part of the leaves thus
daily collected was served to the messes, both of officers and men, and
eaten in various ways, such as pickles, salad, in puddings, or boiled as greens ;
in all of which modes it was constantly and abundantly used till we
sailed from Winter Harbour, and for three weeks after, whenever an oppor-
tunity offered of sending on shore to procure it. Of the good effects pro-
duced upon our health by the unlimited use of fresh vegetable substances,
thus bountifully supplied by the hand of nature, even where least to be ex-
pected, little doubt can be entertained, as it is well known to be a never-
failing specific for scorbutic affections, to which all persons deprived of it
for a length of time are probably more or less pre-disposed. It is reasonable,
therefore, to attribute in a great degree to the use of the sorrel, the efficient
state of our crews at the time of our re-commencing our operations at sea.
We found also a few roots of scurvy-grass (Cochlearia Fenestrata), but they
were too rare and the leaves too small to be of any service to us.
Mr, Wakeham, with a party from the S.W., returned in the evening from a
shooting excursion, having killed the first deer that we had procured this
season, which gave us sixty pounds of meat. A second, sent in by Lieutenant
Beechey on the 19th, weighed only fifty-two pounds, when cleaned, though
not of a very small size ; but these animals are extremely lean on their first
arrival from the south, and appear to improve in this respect very rapidly by
.the good feeding they find upon this island.
k^jBy the 20th of June the land, in the immediate neighbourhood of the ships.
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 211
and especially in low and sheltered situations, was much covered with the 1820.
handsome purple flower of the Saxifraga Oppositifolia, which was at this time JllJ^
in 'great perfection, and gave something like cheerfulness and animation
to a scene hitherto indescribably dreary in its appearance. The poppy
(Papaver Nudicaiile) and some other plants, which will be described here-
after, and most of which appeared in flower during the month of July,
afforded us a degree of enjoyment that made us for awhile forget the rigour of
this severe climate.
The wind increased to a fresh gale from the north on the night of the 20th, Wed.21.
and continued to do so during the following day ; so that Captain Sabine
had great difficulty in keeping his tents secure, and in spite of every exertion
the canvass came in upon one of them, and put it out of its place. The
ravines, which had no water in them a week before, were now discharging
such deep and rapid torrents into the sea, as to render them quite impassable.
The suddenness with which the changes take place during the short season,
which may be called summer in this climate, must appear very striking when
it is remembered that, for a part of the first week in June, we were under the
necessity of thawing artificially the snow, which we made use of for water
during the early part of our journey to the northward ; that, during the second
week, the ground was in most parts so wet and swampy that we could with
difficulty travel ; and that, had we not returned before the end of the third
week, we should probably have been prevented doing so for some time, by
the impossibility of crossing the ravines without great danger of being carried
away by the torrents, an accident that happened to our hunting parties on
one or two occasions, in endeavouring to return with their game to the
ships. Lieutenant Hoppner sent in another deer, being the largest of a herd
of fifteen, notwithstanding which, it only furnished us with seventy-eight
pounds of venison. Lieutenant Hoppner reported that the pools upon the
upper surface of the ice to the south-west were rapidly increasing in size and
number, but that no indication of its breaking up had yet appeared.
On the 22d, at four P.M., a thermometer, in the shade on board the Hecla,
stood at 51°, being the highest temperature we had yet registered this season.
A swan was seen by Mr. Scallon on a pond to the S.W. ; this was, I believe,
the only bird of the kind seen during our stay here, except a dead one which
was picked up on our first arrival.
On the 24th we had frequent showers of snow, which occur in this climate
more or less at all times of the year ; at this season, however, when the
Sat. 24.
213 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
earth is warm, it seldom or never lies on the ground for a whole day
together.
Captain Sabine, among the numerous difficulties he had to overcome in
completing his series of observations for the pendulum, was now annoyed by
the constant thawing and sinking of the ground, though much pains had been
taken to lay a solid foundation for the clocks to stand upon ; fortunately,
however, no serious inconvenience arose from this new annoyance. Lieutenant
Beechey and his people procured another deer, and several hares and birds,
which, added to the game already received, afforded a supply sufficient
to substitute for three days' regular allow^ance, while near the ships
scarcely a single bird could now be procured. Not doubting, therefore,
of the advantage of this plan, I determined to continue it till near the
time of our sailing, by relieving the parties after a certain number of
days' absence. An account of the total quantity of game obtained during
our long stay at Melville Island will be given hereafter. The men
were, in general, particularly fond of these excursions, from which they
invariably returned in the best possible health, though generally a little
thinner than when they went out. As a matter of good policy, it was our
custom to consider the heads and hearts of the deer as the lawful perquisites
of those who killed them, which regulation served to increase their keenness
in hunting, while it gave the people thus employed rather a larger share of
fresh meat than those who remained on board.
Mon. 26. Lieutenant Beechey, on his return from the eastward at midnight on the
26th, reported that the ice along shore in that direction appeared in a more
forward state of dissolution than near Winter Harbour, there being almost
water enough in some places to allow a boat to pass, with several large cracks
in the ice extending from the land some distance to seaward. The deer had
now become much more wild near the tents, and it was therefore necessary
to shift the ground a little. Lieutenant Beechey succeeded in killing one of
these animals, by lying down quietly, and imitating the voice of a fa^v^li
when the deer immediately came up to him within gun-shot. The horns of
the deer, killed at this season, as Mr. Fisher remarks, were " covered with a
soft skin, having a downy pile or hair upon it ; the horns themselves were
soft, and at the tips flexible and easily broken." The foxes, of which they
saw several, " had a black spot, or patch, on each side of the hind-quarters^ ^^y
or hams." Lieutenant Beechey reported also, that one of the Hecla's quarter- !(j
masters, who belonged to his party, had met with the crown-bone of a whale
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 213"
at the distance of a mile from the sea, and considerably above its present 1820.
level. Another was subsequently found in a similar situation, more than a ^,^^
mile to the north of the harbour, and nearly buried in the earth, which was
hard frozen around it. Two headlands, to the eastward of the ships, near the
station which Lieutenant Beechey had chosen for the tents, and for the position
of which he had obtained angles during his late excursion, were named after
Messrs. Halse and Wakeham.
On the 29th, one of the men, in returning on board, from the daily occu- Thur. 29.
pation of gathering sorrel, found in a hole upon the ice a small fish, which
appeared to be of the whiting species, and on going to examine the place
where it was picked up, Mr. Edwards and myself found two others exactly
similar. As there was as yet no communication between the sea and the
upper surface of the ice, sufficiently large to admit these fish, it became a
matter of question in what manner they had got into the situation in which
we found them. It appeared most likely that they were frozen on the surface
of the water at the beginning of winter when the frost first commenced, and
perhaps, therefore, had been floating there dead. We remarked that when-
ever any hard substance is laid upon the ice in small quantities, it soon
makes a deep hole for itself, by the heat it absorbs and radiates, by which
the ice around it is melted. There were at this time upon the ice innume-
rable holes of this kind, some forming small, and others large pools of water;
and in every one of these, without exception, some extraneous substance,
such as sea-weed, sand, and not unfrequently a number of small putrid .
shrimps were found. In one of these holes the fish alluded to were found.
It was curious to see how directly contrary was the effect produced upon the
ice by a quantity of straw which was put out upon it in the early part of
May, and which, by preventing the access of warmth, had now become raised
above the general surface more than two feet ; affording a strong practical
example of the principle on which straw is made use of in ice-houses, and
what was at that time of more importance to us, a proof how much the upper
surface of the ice had been insensibly wasted by dissolution.
Lieutenant Hoppner returned, on the evening of the 29th, from his hunting
excursion to the south-west, bringing with him some game, and what was to
us much more acceptable, the welcome information that the ice had been
observed in motion in the offing on the 22d. This circumstance was first
observed by Messrs. Skene and Fife, who were of Lieutenant Hoppner's
party, and who were awakened by a loud grinding noise, which, as they
214 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1820. had soon the satisfaction to find, was occasioned by the heavy field-ice setting
v,*-y-sl/ rapidly to the eastward, at the distance of five miles from the land, and ap-
parently at the rate of a mile an hour. The wind was at this time moderate,
but on the preceding day it had blown a fresh northerly gale.
Lieutenant Hoppner likewise reported that he had, in the course of his
late excursion, met with a lake between four and five miles in circumference,
situated at the distance of twelve or fourteen miles to the westward of
the entrance of Winter Harbour, and four miles from the sea. This lake was
still frozen over, but, from the nature of the banks, had the appearance of
being deep ; and it is, probably, the same which Mr. Fife had fallen in with,
at the time he lost his way in September 1819, and of the situation of which
he had not been able to give any satisfactory account.
On the 27th of June, V^'illiam Scott, of whose complaint I have before had
occasion to speak, had become quite delirious, and could only be kept in bed
by force. Mr. Edwards was at first in hopes that this was the effect of some
temporary cause, but was afterwards of opinion that it resembled, in every
respect, a state of absolute and permanent derangement ; and this opinioi^
was subsequently strengthened by some circumstances which only now came
to our knowledge, and of which an account will be given in another place.
Frid. 30. For some days past Scott had been gradually growing worse, and on the
evening of the 29th, he was so far exhausted, that Mr. Edwards did not
expect him to survive through the night. At two A.M. on the 30th, I was
informed by that gentleman, that Scott was dying, and before I could get
my clothes on, he had breathed his last, without any apparent pain. As it
was proper and desirable, in every respect, that his body should be opened,
notwithstanding the prejudice which seamen entertain against this practice,
and which it would, perhaps, be as well to overcome by more frequently
insisting upon it, I willingly complied Avith Mr. Edwards's request to be
allowed to perform the dissection. The result was satisfactory to the
medical gentlemen in whose charge this unfortunate man had been placed ;
and, I may be permitted to add to myself also, inasmuch as it proved his
death to have been immediately occasioned by a disease which, perhaps, no
skill nor attention could have cured in any climate, or under any circumstances,
and having no immediate connexion with our present peculiar situation, or
with the nature of the service in which we were engaged. As this case has
proved the only fatal one during a voyage, differing in many respects from
any before undertaken, a more particular account of it may not, perhaps, be
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 215
considered uninteresting; with this view, therefore, as well as from an 1820.
anxious desire to do justice to the skill and humane attention displayed by v^-y-O
the medical officers during the whole course of this poor man's illness, I
have requested Mr. Edwards to furnish me with a detailed statement of his
case, and of the treatment adopted, which will be found in the Appendix.
For the last two or three days, the spring-tides, which had been unusually
high, overflowed the ice near the beach, so as to make it difficult to land
near high water. In the general appearance of the ice of the harbour, there
was no very perceptible alteration from day to day, though the thawing
process was certainly going on with great rapidity at this period. The officer
who relieved Lieutenant Hoppner, in command of the hunting party to the
south-west, received strict injunctions to watch the ice constantly, and to
make an immediate report of any appearance of open water in any direction.
For the last four or five days in June, we had experienced more of southerly
winds than usual, the weather being generally cloudy, with a good deal of
small rain, and now and then a little snow ; the general temperature of the
atmosphere, however, was pleasant and comfortable to our feelings, as well as
favourable to the dissolution of the ice, for which we were so anxiously looking.
One of Mr. Nias's party arrived from the eastward on the morning of the July-
1st of July, with a good supply of hares, ducks, and ptarmigans ; he had
seen above fifty deer in three days, but they were too wild to allow the
party to get near them, in a country without the smallest cover of any kind.
Another fish was picked up to-day in a hole on the ice, of the same kind as
those before found.
On Sunday the 2d of July, after divine service had been performed, the Sun. 2,
body of the deceased was committed to the earth, on a level piece of ground
about a hundred yards from the beach, with every solemnity which the
occasion demanded, and the circumstances of our situation would pennit.
The ensigns and pendants were lowered half-mast during the procession,
and the remains of our unfortunate shipmate were attended to the grave by
every officer and man in both ships. To the performance of this last
melancholy duty, under any circumstances sufficiently impressive, the
peculiarity of the scene around us, and of the circumstances in which we
were placed, could not fail to impart an additional feeling of awful solemnity,
which it is more easy to imagine than to describe. A neat tomb-stone was
afterwards placed at the head of the grave by Mr. Fisher, who carved upon
it the name of the deceased with the other usual information.
ABSTRACT of the METEOROLOGICAL JOURNAL kept on board His Majesty's Ship Hecla,
during the Month of June
, 1820.
Teraperatiire of Air
in shade.
Barometer.
Prevailing Winds.
Prevailing Weather.
Day
Maxi-
Mini-
Mean.
Maxi-
Mini-
Mean.
1
o
+ 40
o
+ 31
+ 36.&
incbes.
30.00
inches.
;29.88
inches.
29.940
Nb.E.
Light breezes and cloudy Vfeather.
2
36
,31
34.17
30.00
30.00
30.000
to N.W.
Ditto ditto.
3
43
29
35.60
29.98
29.74
29.802
f N. by West to \
\ South. j
Moderate and cloudy.
4
39
31.5
35.63
29.70
29.50
29.597
South
Ditto ditto.
5
40
30
34.87
29.58
29.52
29.555
S.b.W.
Moderate and fine.
6
37
28
32.17
29.68
29.60
29.642
S.E. by S. to N.W.
Moderate and hazy.
7
31
28
29.63
29.64
29.50
29.553
N.N.W.
Ditto ditto.
8
36
28
32.08
29.60
29.55
29.590
West.
Ditto ditto.
9
38
30
33.92
29.69
29.60
29.638
W.S.W. to North
Light breezes with rain at times.
10
33
32
32.25
29.73
29.62
29.692
S.E. to E.
Light airs to strong breezes : contintied snow.
11
36
33
33.92
29.84
29.76
29.792
West.
Fresh breezes and cloudy.
12
34
30
32.54
29.94
29.86
29.895
West.
Moderate and clondy.
13
37
29.5
33.46
29.93
29.75
29.895
West.
Moderate vrith snow and rain.
14
S7
32
34.75
29.73
29.63
29.700
S.S.W. to N.N.W.
Fresh breezes, with squalls and snow.
15
39
29
34.67
29.80
29.74
29.775
N.W.
Moderate and clear.
16
37
29
33.75
29.90
29.85
29.877
S.S.E.
Light breezes and fine.
17
43
30
34.58
30.00
29.90
29.945
S.E.
Ditto ditto.
IS
43
31
37.33
30.13
30.00
30.062
S.E.
Light breezes and fine. ;
19
40
34
37.67
30.13
30.08
30.112
North
Fresh breezes and cloudy.
39
39
34
36.25
30.07
29.97
30.022
North
Ditto ditto.
21
42
35
38.17
29.96
29.93
29.947
North
Strong breezes— fine clear weather.
22
51
36
44.33
30.04
29.94
30.005
North.
Moderate and cloudy.
23
45.5
38
42.08
30.00
29.93
29.970
North
Moderate and fine.
24
41
33
37.00
29.94
29.79
29.842
:n.n.w.
Moderate and cloudy : occasional snow.
25
41.5
34
37.42
2930
29.76
29.790
North
Fresh breezes and cloudy weather.
26
47
33
40.50
29.90
29.81
^9.852
N.N.E. toS.W.
Light breezes and cloudy— small rain.
27
43
36
39.33
29.96
29.87
29.907
S.S.W.
Ditto ditto
28
44
32
37.17
129.81
29.74
29.785
S.E.
Ditto ditto.
29
46
39
'41.92
29.79
29.75
29.767
5 North by East to >
\ South. >
Ditto ' ditto.
30
48
37
48;75
29.80
29.59
29.677
S.S.W.
Fresh breezes and cloudy. \
+ 51
+ 28
+ 36.24
30.13
29.50
29.8^
VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY. ' 217
A herd of fourteen deer being seen near the ships, a party was despatched in l82o.
pursuit of them, with our customary want of success, it being almost impossible ^i^J^
to approach them in so open and exposed a country, so that these excursions
generally ended in a chase between the men and the deer ; some good dogs
would, perhaps,^ have been serviceable to us on these occasions.
Having taken on board our bower anchors and cables from the beach, Mon. 3.
on account of the difficulty we should have found in removing them after
the ice began to break up, each ship placed two stream anchors on shore
with hawsers from the bow and quarter, to hold them in case of any
sudden motion of the ice, the pools upon which now increased very
perceptibly both in depth and extent from day to day. In looking
into these pools, it always appeared, during the day, as if drops of rain
were falling into them ; this was caused by the continual extrication of air
from the ice which was thawing below, and by the rising of the bubbles to
the surface. At six P.M., the atmosphere being clear and serene, the
thermometer rose to 53° in the shade, but immediately on a moderate breeze
springing up from the northward it fell to 45°. On the 5th and 6th, how-
ever, it stood for three hours from 50° to 52°, with a fresh breeze from
the northward, accompanied by cloudy weather ; and on the afternoons
of the two following days, the wind being still northerly, the atmosphere
continued for some time at the temperature of 55°.
The dissolution of the ice of the harbour went on so rapidly in the early Thurs.6.
part of July, that we were greatly surprised, on the 6th, in finding, that in
several of the pools of water, on its upper surface, holes were washed quite
through to the sea beneath. On examining several of these, we found that
the average thickness of the ice, in the upper part of the harbour where the
ships were lying, did not exceed two feet, which was much less than we had
any idea of Towards the mouth of the harbour, however, where the water
was deeper, no such holes made their appearance for some days after this.
It must here be remarked, that in all cases we found the ice to be first thawed
and broken up in the shoalest. water, in consequence, I suppose, of the
greater facility with Avhich the ground, at a small depth below the surface of
the sea, absorbed and radiated the heat of the sun's rays ; and, as it is in such
situations that water generally freezes the first, this circumstance seems a 1
remarkable instance of the provision of nature for maintaining such a balance '
in the quantity of ice annually formed and dissolved, as shall prevent any
undue or extraordinary accumulation of it in any part of the Polar regions of. ;
218 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1820. the earth. In consequence of this circumstance, we were now enabled, for
the first time, to bring our boats down to the beach, so as to allow them
to float about high water, in order to prevent their being split by the sun,
while in every other part of the harbour, except thus near the shore, we had
not the means of doing so till some days afterwards. Among the means^,
also, which nature employs in these regions to dissolve, during the short
summer, the ice which has been formed upon the sea by the cold of winter,
there appears to be none more efficacious than the numerous streams of water
produced by the melting of the snow upon the land, and which, for a period
of at least six or seven weeks, even in the climate of Melville Island, are
constantly discharging themselves into the ocean. On this account, it would
appear probable, that high land is more favourable to the dissolution and
dispersion of the ice near its shores than that which is lower, because it
supplies a never-ceasing flow of water during the whole of the thawing
season. For instance, on the 1st of September, 1818, we found the stream
in Possession Bay discharging a torrent of water into the sea, and there was
still snow enough remaining on the land to keep up an abundant stream, till
it should be arrested by the frost of winter ; whereas, on these islands, which
are very low, comparatively with the land about Possession Bay, or in Sir
James Lancaster's Sound, we found, at the same season, in 1819, and much
before the thawing had finished, that they were completely free from snow,
the ravines entirely dry, and the whole face of the islands parched and
cracked with drought, as if there had been no moisture upon the surface of
the ground for some time.
On unhanging the rudders, and hauling them up on the ice for examination,
we found them a good deal shaken and grazed by the blows they had
received during the time the ships were beset at the entrance of Davis'
Strait. We found, also, that the rudder-cases in both ships had been fitted
too small, occasioning considerable difficulty in getting the rudders down
when working, a circumstance by no means disadvantageous, (perhaps, indeed,
rather the contrary,) on ordinary service at sea, but which should be carefully
avoided in ships intended for the navigation among ice, as it is frequently
necessary to unship the rudder at a short notice, in order to preserve it from
injury, as our future experience was soon to teach us. This fault was,
however, soon remedied, and the rudders again hung, in readiness for sea.
About this time, a few flocks of looms occasionally made their appearance,
invariably flying quite round the harbour, exactly over the narrow and only
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 219
strip of water which I have before described as occurring next the beach, as 1820.
if looking out for food. "^"'y-
From the 7th to the 10th, a good deal of rain fell at intervals, which pro- Mon. lo.
duced a very sensible alteration in the ice, making it look of a blue colour
all over the surface, and increasing the size and number of the holes in a
much greater degree than during the same interval at any other period.
Mr. Reid, Avho returned on the 10th from his hunting-excursion to the
south-west, reported, however, that he had not, during his absence, per-
ceived the ice to be in motion, nor was there any perceptible alteration in
the general mass upon the coast, except in the increase of the number of pools
upon it, and in the breadth of the little channel between the ice and the
land. This channel, if so it may be called, when the depth was not yet
sufficient to float one of our whale-boats, was from forty to fifty yards wide in
the part of the harbour next us, but much more on the northern and eastern
sides, where the shoal-water extends to a greater distance from the shore.
We were in hopes that the spring tides, which took place about the 11th,
would have been serviceable in breaking up the ice, which now began to
approach that state of rottenness, as the sailors term it, which made it
dangerous to walk across the pools, as we had hitherto been accustomed to
do, to avoid the trouble of going round. No sensible alteration was pro-
duced, however, by the highest tide ; probably in consequence of the ice
being already so completely detached from the shore, as to allow it to rise
freely, and without resistance of any kind, like any other floating body ; the
height and velocity of the tides are here, indeed, so small, that it was not
reasonable to expect much from them in this way.
On the 14th a boat passed, for the first time, between the ships and the Frid. 14.
shore, in consequence of the junction of a number of the pools and holes in the
ice, and on the following day the same kind of communication was practicable
between the ships. It now became necessary, therefore, to provide against
the possibility of the ships being forced on shore by the total disruption of
the ice between them and the beach, and the pressure of that without, by
letting go a bower-anchor underfoot, which was accordingly done as soon as
there was a hole in the ice under the bows of each, sufficiently large to allow
tlie anchors to pass through. We had now been quite ready for sea for some
days ; and a regular and anxious look-out was kept from the crow's nest for
any alteration in the state of the ice, which might favour our departure from
Winter Harbour, in which it now became more than probable that we were
220 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1820. destined to be detained thus inactively for a part of each month in the
v.^U^ whole year, as we had reached it in the latter part of September, and were
likely to be prevented leaving it till after the commencement of August.
Sun. 16. On the 16th of July the streams of water in the ravines were once more
passable with great ease, and the snow had entirely disappeared, ex-
cept on the sides of those ravines, and in other hollows where it had
formed considerable drifts ; so that the appearance of the land was much the
same now as when we first made the islands in the latter part of August
the preceding year. The walks which our people were enabled to take at
this period, when the weather was really mild and pleasant, and to our
feelings quite as warm as the summer of any other climate, together with
the luxurious living afforded by our hunting parties, and by the abundant
supply of sorrel which was always at command, were the means of completely
eradicating any seeds of scurvy which might have been lurking in the consti-
tutions of the officers and men, who were now, I believe, in as good health,
and certainly in as good spirits, as when the Expedition left England. Gra-
tifying as this fact could not but be to me, it was impossible to contemplate
without pain the probability, now too evident, that the shortness of the
approaching season of operations would not admit of that degree of success in
the prosecution of the main object of our enterprise, which might otherwise
have been reasonably anticipated in setting out from our present advanced
station with two ships in such perfect condition, and with crews so zealous in
the cause in which we were engaged.
Moil. 17. From six A.M. till six P.M. on the 17th, the thermometer stood generally
from 55° to 60°; the latter temperature being the highest which appears in the
Hecla's Meteorological Journal during this summer. It will readily be con-
ceived how pleasant such a temperature must have been to our feelings after the
severe winter which immediately preceded it. The month of July is, indeed, the
only one which can be called at all comfortable in the climate of Melville Island.
Tues. 18. On the 18th I rowed round the harbour in a boat, in order to take the
soundings as far as the ice would permit; when it was worthy of remark how
exactly the extent of the clear water between the ice and the shore corre-
sponded with its depth, it being nearly a quarter of a mile wide on the
north-eastern side of the harbour, where the deepest water was from eight to
ten feet; while on the western side, where we found two fathoms, the passage
for the boat did not exceed forty or fifty yards in width. This channel was
almost daily becoming wider, especially after a strong breeze from any
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 221
quarter causing a ripple on tlie sea, by whicli tlie edge of the ice was con- 1820.
stantly washed and rapidly dissolved. My intention, therefore, at this time ,^,!^
was, carefully to watch the increasing breadth of this open water; and,
whenever a depth of three fathoms could be found, to warp the ships through
it along-shore, as the only means which appeared likely to be allowed us of
commencing our summer's navigation.
On the 20th, there being a strong breeze from the N.N.E., with fog andThui. 20.
rain, all favourable to the dispersion of the ice, that part of it which was
immediately around the Hecla, and from which she had been artificially de-
tached so long before, at length separated into pieces, and floated away ;
carrying with it the collection of ashes and other rubbish which had been
accumulating for the last ten months ; so that the ship was now once more
fairly riding at anchor, but with the ice still occupying the whole of the
centre of the harbour, and within a few yards of her bows : the Griper had
been set free in a similar manner a few days before. But it was only in that
part of the harbour where the ships were lying that the ice had yet sepa-
rated in this manner at so great a distance from the shore ; a circumstance
probably occasioned by the greater radiation of heat from the ships, and
from the materials of various kinds which we had occasion to deposit upon the
ice during the time of our equipment.
Lieutenant Liddon accompanied me in a boat down the west shore of the
harbour, to the southern point of the entrance, in order to sound along the
edge of the ice, where we found from seven to fifteen feet water ; the ice
about the entrance appeared still very solid and compact, and not a single
hole was at this time noticed through any of the pools upon its surface, ex-
cept one which was made by a seal, and which discovered the thickness of the
ice to be there between two and three feet.
Mr. Dealey, with a hunting party, returned late at night without success,
having lost his way in a thick fog, that Jiung over the land at intervals
during the day, a circumstance which did not often occur while the ships
remained in harbour : we frequently, however, especially in the month of
July, perceived heavy fog-banks covering the horizon in the offing, while the
weather was perfectly clear near the shore.
On the 21st, Mr. Fife returned from our hunting station twelve or fourteen Frid. 21,
miles to the south-west, and reported that the appearance of the ice in that
quarter was much the same as in Winter Harbour, except that the space
between the ice and the land was in most parts not so broad.
222 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1«20. There was a fresh breeze from the north-eastward, with fine clear weather^
v-^-^w/ on the 22d, which made the Hecla swing round into twenty feet water astern ;
Sat. 22. and the ice, being now moveable in the harbour, came home towards the
shore with this wind, but not so much as to put any considerable strain on
the cable of either ship ; and the holding-ground being excellent, there was
nothing to apprehend for their security.
During a walk which I took to the southward this day for the purpose of
examining the ice near the mouth of the harbour, I was glad to find that a
quantity of it had lately been forced up on the reef, by the pressure of the
external ice, a proof that it had some room in which to acquire motion,
and which encouraged a hope that when the wind should blow directly oflF
the land, it might drift the ice sufficiently from the shore to afford us a navi-
gable channel to the westward. I, therefore, went down in a boat in the
afternoon, to see if any thing could be done, but found the shore so loaded
with broken ice which a north-east wind had first separated and then drifted
upon the beach, that I could not get so far as the south point of the entrance.
Sun. 2a. A fresh gale which blew from the northward, on the morning of the 23d,
caused a great alteration in the appearance of the ice near the ships, but
none whatever in that in the offing, or at the mouth of the harbour, except
that the shores were there more encumbered than before, owing to the
quantity of pieces which were separated and driven down from the norths-
ward, so that our small boat could not succeed in getting along the shore.
The north shore of the harbour was now, however, so clear as to induce me
to send Lieutenant Beechey, with two boats to haul the seine, in the hope of
catching some such fish as we had some time ago found upon the ice. Our
fishermen, however, had little success, having brought on board only three
small fish, which were all that were found in the net. ^
Mon. 24. On the 24th, the sails were bent, in readiness for our starting at a moment's
notice, though, it must be confessed, that the motive for doing so was to
make some show of moving, rather than any expectation which I dared to
entertain of soon escaping from our long and tedious confinement ; for it was
impossible to conceal from the men the painful fact, that, in eight or nine
weeks from this period, the navigable season must unavoidably come to a
conclusion.
Tues. 25. I went away in a boat early on the morning of the 25th, in order to soun^
the harbour, in those parts where the ice would admit the boat, with a viei
to take advantage of the first favourable change which might present itsell
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 223
The wind having come round to the southward in the afternoon, caused
the separation of a large portion of ice on the northern side of that which
now occupied the harbour, and the detached pieces drifting down towards us,
rendered it necessary to be on our guard lest the ships should be forced from
their anchorage. On this account, as well as from an anxious and impatient
desire to make a move, however trifling, from a spot in which we had
now unwillingly but unavoidably passed nearly ten months, and of which
we had long been heartily tired, I directed lines to be run out for the pur-
pose of warping the ships along the ice in the centre of the harbour, and at
half-past two P.M., the anchors were weighed. As soon as a strain Avas
put upon the lines, however, we found that the ice to which they were
attached came home upon us, instead of the ships being drawn out to the
southward, and we were, therefore, obliged to have recourse to the kedge-
anchors, which we could scarcely find room to drop, on account of the
closeness of the ice. Having warped a little way out from the shore, into
five fathoms and a half, it was found impossible to proceed any farther
without a change of wind, and the anchors were, therefore, dropped till
such a change should take place. In the course of the evening all the loose
ice drifted past us to the northward, loading that shore of the harbour with
innumerable fragments of it, and leaving a considerable space of clear
water along shore to the southward. Our hunting parties were now recalled,
and returned on board in good health in the course of this and the following
day ; having supplied us, during the whole time which this mode had been
adopted, with a quantity of game sufficient to substitute for more than one
month's established proportion of meat on board both ships. Their success
had of late, however, become very indifferent, as they had not seen a deer
for several days, and the birds were grown extremely shy. A herd of
seven musk-oixen had lately been met with to the south-west.
On the morning of the 26th, it was nearly calm, with continued rain and Wed. 26.
thick weather ; and there being now a space of clear water for nearly three
quarters of a mile to the southward of us, we took advantage of a breeze which
sprung up from the northward to weigh, at nine A.M. and run down as far as the
ice would permit, and then dropped our anchors in the best births we could
select, close to the edge of it, with the intention of advancing step by step,
as it continued to separate by piece-meal. The ice across the entrance of
the harbour as far as this spot, and the whole of that in the offing, of which
we had here a commanding view from the Hecla's crow's-nest, was still
mi) VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1820. quite continuous and unbroken, with the same appearance of solidity as it
d^X^ had during the middle of winter, except that the pools of water were numerous
upon its surface.
Thur. 27. On the 27th, the weather was clear and fine, with a strong and rather
cold wind from the W.N.W., the thermometer not being higher than 37°
during the day. The general temperature of the atmosphere had, indeed,
before this time, begun very sensibly to decrease, and from this period the
thermometer seldom stood so high as 40° in the shade during the rest of
the summer. Some showers of sleet and snow prevented our sending the
people on shore to pick sorrel, as they had been accustomed to do for some
weeks past ; this valuable plant was now on the decline, the leaves begin-
ning to wither, and having much less of that acid taste, which constitutes its
principal value.
Frid. 28. On the morning of the 28th, the wind, having shifted to the southward,
was found to set the ice (close to the edge of which the Hecla had anchored)
against the cable, putting some strain upon it in addition to that of the ship.
We veered, therefore, to thirty fathoms, to enable the anchor to hold the
better, and ranged the other cable. At half-past eight A.M. I rowed along-
shore to the southward in a boat as far as the ice would allow us to go, which,
however, was not a single yard beyond where Lieutenant Liddon and myself
had gone, with almost equal facility, eight days before. I then landed, and
walked about two miles to the southward, where I had a clear view for several
miles in that direction. The space between the ice and the land between
the entrance of Winter Harbour and Cape Hearne was so small that a boat
could not possibly have gone that distance, even if the passage out of the
harbour had been clear. The only appearance of the breaking up of the ice
consisted in a quantity of it having been recently pressed up into hummocks
in some places near the beach ; but, upon the whole, I was compelled to
admit, in my own mind, that there never was a sea which appeared less
navigable. On my return, I perceived that our people were busy in the boats,
and found when I got on board, that the Hecla had been forced by the ice into
thirteen feet water abaft, the whole body having come home upon the cable,
so as to drag the anchor. Lieutenant Beechey had, with great promptness,
cut a bight or dock in the ice, and dropped the kedge in the middle of it, by
which means he had, before my return on board, succeeded in getting the
ship once more into four fathoms ; and the small bower being then hove up,
she was hauled out into seven fathoms, and the other anchor let go, after
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 295
which we lay quite securely, the wind freshening up strong from the westward 1820.
at night, which kept the ice at a sufficient distance from us. \^!^
In the mean time Lieutenant Liddon had sent me word that the Griper, S«'- 29-
which had taken her birth to the southward of ours, was not in a much more
secure situation than that from which the Hecla had just escaped, the ice
pressing forcibly upon her cable at times, so as to endanger her being forced
on shore by it. Lieutenant Liddon very prudently, therefore, unshipped his
rudder, and otherwise prepared his ship in the best manner he could fo*'
taking the beach, which is here tolerably bold, and quite soft and muddy.
Happily, however, the westerly wind, which shortly after sprung up, prevented
any accident of this nature.
Many of the pools of water upon the ice were slightly frozen over during Sun. 30.
the night, which had seldom been the case for several weeks before, but which
now took place almost every night for the rest of the season, as soon as the
sun had become low. At three P.M. another large portion of the ice near us
detached itself from the main-body, and floated away to the eastward, leaving
us a space of three or four hundred yards in extent clear all round the ship,
of which circumstance we immediately took advantage to weigh the anchor,
and shift our birth further from the shore.
The wind continued fresh from the W.S.W., and at half-past seven P.M. I
was informed by Mr. Palmer that a separation of the ice had just taken place
in the offing, which, on going into the crow's nest, I found to consist of a
lane of clear water, narrow and not altogether continuous, lying in a directioa
nearly parallel to that of the coast, and about three miles distant from it,
being probably the boundary of the last winter's ice. From the outer point
of the reef of Winter Harbour a crack commenced, and could be traced, at
intervals, till it appeared to join the line of separation before described ; the
ice across the mouth of the harbour remained perfectly compact and unbroken,
so that we could still do nothing but watch the progress of the operation
which seemed at length to have commenced in earnest.
The wind being from the S.S.W. during the night, served to close the lane Mon. 31.
of water which had appeared in the offing the preceding day, which we con-
sidered a favourable circumstance, as shewing that the external mass of ice
was in motion. In the course of the day, the wind shifting to the W.N.W.,
we once more discovered a small opening between the old and young floes, and
at eleven P.M., the whole body of the ice in the harbour was perceived to be
moving slowly out to the south-eastward, breaking away, for the first time.
226 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERy
1820. at the points which form the entrance of the harbour. This sudden and
v^lj^ unexpected change rendering it probable that we should at length be re-
leased, I sent to Captain Sabine, who had been desirous of continuing his
observations on the pendulum to the last moment, to request he would
have the clocks ready for embarkation at an early hour in the morning.
I furnished Lieutenant Liddon with instructions for his future guidance during
the ensuing season of operations, appointing also certain places of rendez-
vous, to facilitate our meeting, in case of unavoidable separation during that
period. I sent also on board the Griper, in compliance with my Instructions
on that head, a chart of our late discoveries, together with a duplicate copy
of every document of interest relating to the Expedition.
The latitude of the anchorage in Winter Harbour, by the mean of
thirty-nine meridian altitudes, is - - 74° 47' 19".36 N.
The longitude, by the mean of six hundred and
ninety-two sets of observations, consisting of six thou-
sand eight hundred and sixty-two lunar distances - 110° 48' 29".2 W.
The dip of the magnetic needle 88° 43' N.
The variation - - - - - 127° 47' 50" E.
The mean time of high water, on the full and change days of the
moon, ---1 hour 29 minutes.
!May - - - 2 feet 6^ inches.
June - - - 2 „ 7
July - - - 2 „ 81.
ni/'/L'/ic;i M'.^'/m Mimii AWmuirl,- SlnvtLmdmMujrli iSl.
ABSTRACT of the METEOROLOGICAL JOURNAL kept on board His Majesty's Ship Hecla,
during the Month of July
, 1820.
Day
Temperature of Air
in shade.
Barometer.
Prevailing Winds.
Prevailing Weather.
1
Maxi-
Mini-
Mean.
Maxi.
mum.
Mini.
Mean.
o
+ 44
o
+ 36
+ 40.58
inches.
29.60
inches.
29.56
inches.
29.578
North.
Fresh breezes and cloudy.
2
45
36
40..50
29.70
29.62
29.657
N.N.E.
Ditto ditto.'
3
53
34
43.83
29.73
29.71
29.720
North.
Light breezes and cloudy.
4
45
37
39.83
29.77
29.73
29.747
North.
Strong breezes— squalls occasionally.
5
52
37
44.33
29.83
29.75
29.775
North.
Moderate and cloudy.
6
51
43
47.67
29.83
29.75
29.787
North.
Fresh breezes and cloudy.
7
55
41
47.42
29.90
29.83
29.863
North.
Moderate and fine.
8
55
43
48.75
29.90
29.86
29.882
N.N.W.
Ditto ditto.
9
49
40
43.58
30.01
29.77
29.903
South.
Freshibreezes — occasional rain.
10
48
41
45.67
29.83
29.70
29.765
South.
Ditto ditto.
11
49
43
43.33
29.90
29.80
29.845
N.W.
Moderate and cloudy.
12
49
40
43.75
29.80
29.78
29.797
W.N.W.
Moderate with rain.
13
55
40
46.00
29.82
29.76
29.790
N. by W. to N.N.W.
Ditto ditto.
14
56
32
48.25
29.76
29.66
29.720
!; .S.W.
From light to strong breezes.
15
47
38
43.00
29.79
29.68
29.710
South.
Moderate and fine.
16
49
36.5
42.87
29.76
29.72
29.753
S.S.E.
Light airs and fine clear weather.
17
CO
41
51.08
2Q.81
29.75
29.790
North.
Ditto ditto.
18
48
34
43.12
29.84
29.69
29.788
S.S.E.
Light airs, and fine clear weather.
19
50
36
43.17
29.75
29.69
29.723
S.E.
Light airs and hazy.
20
43
38
40.50
20.70
29.60
29.023
N.N.E.
Light airs with rain.
21
45
33
40.33
29.64
29.00
29.623
N. byE.
Fresh breezes and cloudy.
22
50
37
45.01
29.69
29.66
29.675
N.N.E.
Ditto ditto.
23
43
34
39.17
29.70
29.67
29.090
North.
Ditto ditto.
24
49
36
41.83
29.71
29.60
29.678
South.
Moderate and fine.
25
50
35.5
43.58
29.59
29.31
29.453
E.by N. toS.W.
Light breezes and fine.
26
42
34
36.92
29.27
29.13
29.175
W.N.W.
Fresh breezes and cloudy— snow and rain.
27
37
32.5
34.07
29.44
29.26
29.387
W.N.W.
Ditto < (.
28
42
34
37.29
29.39
29.30
29.335
Round compass.
Light airs and cloudy.
29
38
32
34.58
29.52
29.34
29.452
S.W.
Fresh breezes and cloudy : hail and snow.
30
42
32
37.25
20.55
29.52
29.555
S.S.W.toWest.
Moderate and cloudy : hail and sleet.
31
40
S4.5
36.96
29.52
29.44
29.187
C S.S.W. to )
I W.N.W. S
Fresh breezes and cloudy : snow and rain.
+ 60
+ 32
+ 42.41
30.01
29.13
29.668
VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
CHAPTER X.
LEAVE WINTER HARBOUR— FLATTERING APPEARANCE OF THE SEA TO THE
WESTWARD— STOPPED BY THE ICE NEAR CAPE HAY FURTHER PROGRESS
TO THE LONGITUDE OF 113° 48' 22.5, BEING THE WESTERNMOST
MERIDIAN HITHERTO REACHED IN THE POLAR SEA, TO THE NORTH OF
AMERICA — BANKS'S LAND DISCOVERED — INCREASED EXTENT AND DIMEN-
SIONS OF THE ICE — RETURN TO THE EASTWARD, TO ENDEAVOUR TO
PENETRATE THE ICE TO THE SOUTHWARD — DISCOVERY OF SEVERAL
ISLANDS — RE-ENTER BARROWS STRAIT, AND SURVEY ITS SOUTH COAST
PASS THROUGH SIR JAMES LANCASTER'S SOUND, ON OUR RETURN
TO ENGLAND.
August. I HE wind still blowing fresh from the northward and westward, the ice
^tT"^] continued to drift out slowly from the harbour, till, at eight A.M., it had left
the whole space between the ships and Cape Hearne completely clear,
and at eleven o'clock there appeared to be water round the hummocks of
ice which lie aground off that point. In the mean time, our boats were
employed in embarking the clocks, tents, and observatory, while I sounded
the entrance of the harbour, in order to complete the survey, which no
opportunity had offered of doing before this time. At one P.M., having got
every thing on board, and the ice appearing to be still leaving the shore, we
weighed, and ran out of Winter Harbour, in which we had actually, as
had some time before been predicted, passed ten whole months, and a part of
the two remaining ones, September and August. The mind is always anxious,
however, to find some ground of encouragement and hope for attaining the
object of its pursuit, and we did not fail to remember, on this occasion, that
• short as our season of navigation must of necessity be, we were about to
begin that season on the anniversary of the day on which we had commenced
t)F A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 229
our discoveries from the entrance of Sir James Lancaster's Sound westward, 18'20.
in the preceding year ; and that if we were favoured with the same degree of ^XJ
success during the same period as before, there could be little doubt of the
eventual accomplishment of our enterprise.
In running along shore towards Cape Ilearne, generally at the distance of
half a mile from the land, we had from ten to sixteen fathoms' water, and
rounded the hummocks off the point in six and a half fathoms by three P.M.
As we opened the point, it was pleasing to see that the coast to the west-
ward of it was more clear of ice, (excepting the loose pieces which lay
scattered about in every direction, but which would not very materially
have impeded the navigation with a fair wind,) than it had been when we first
arrived off it, a month later in the foregoing year; the main ice having
been blown off by the late westerly and north-westerly winds, to the distance
of four or five miles from the shore, which, from all we have seen on this
part of the coast, appears to be its utmost limit. The navigable channel, with
a beating wind between the ice and the land, was here from one to two
or two miles and a half in width, and this seemed, from the mast-head, to con-
tinue as far as the eye could reach along-shore to the westward.
3Ve found the wind much more westerly after we rounded the point, which
made our progress slow and tedious ; the more so, as we had every minute
to luff for one piece of ice, and to bear up for another, by which much
ground was unavoidably lost. We also found the ships to be considerably
impeded by a tide or current setting to the eastward, which, as it slackened
about seven in the evening, I considered to be the flood, the time of higli
water at Winter Harbour this day being about half-past seven. After a
very few tacks, we had the mortification to perceive, that the Griper sailed
and worked much Avorse than before, notwithstanding every endeavour
which Lieutenant Liddon had been anxiously making during her re-equip-,
ment, to improve those qualities in which she had been found deficient.
She missed stays several times in the course of the evening, with smooth
water, and a fine working breeze ; and, by midnight, the Hecla had gained
eight miles to windward of her, which obliged me to heave-to, notwith-
standing the increased width of the navigable channel, the weather having
become hazy, so as to endanger our parting company.
At three A.M., on the 2d, the Griper having joined us, we again made Wed. -2.
sail to the westward. As, however, I could not but consider that her bad
sailing had already lost us a distance of at least seven miles in the first day
230 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1820. after our leaving harbour ; and, as it was evident that such detention must,
, s.^Sr^ if continued, absolutely preclude the possibility of accomplishing the main
object of the Expedition, I addressed a letter to Lieutenant Liddon, de-
siring to be made acquainted with all the circumstances of the Griper's
incapacity, that immediate steps might be taken, either for nproving
her trim by any means in our power, or, in the event of failing to do so,
for removing her crew and provisions to the Hecla, and prosecuting the
voyage in that ship singly.
During the whole forenoon of the 2d, we observed a well-defined line of
ripple, at the distance of two or three miles from the land, and a few hun-
dred yards from the edge of the ice, running parallel to the shore. We
tried the current about noon, by the small boat moored to the bottom, on
each side of this ripple ; and found that outside, or to the southward of it,
it was running to the eastward at the rate of one mile per hour, while within
it, no current was perceptible. Our latitude, at noon, by an indifferent
observation, was 74'' 36' 33", and the longitude by account 110° 59', being in
forty-nine fathoms' water, on a bottom of blue clay.
Soon after noon, a breeze sprung up from the S.S.W., which being rather
upon the shore, made it likely that the ice would soon begin to close it ; we,
therefore, began to look out for a situation where the ships might be se-
cured in-shore, behind some of the heavy grounded ice, which had so often
before afforded us shelter under similar circumstances. At one o'clock, we
perceived that a heavy floe had already closed completely in with the land,
at a point a little to the westward of us, preventing all hope of further
progress for the present in that direction. A boat was, therefore, sent to
examine the ice in-shore, and a favourable place having been found for
our purpose, the ships Avere hauled in, and secured there, the Griper's
bow resting on the beach, in order to allow the Hecla to lie in security
without her. This place was so completely sheltered from the access of the
main body of the ice, that I began to think seriously of taking advantage of
this situation to remove the Griper's crew on board the Hecla, and had con-
sulted the officers upon the subject. The circumstances, however, which
subsequently occurred, rendering such a measure inexpedient, because no
longer necessary to the accomplishment of the object in view, by which^
alone it could be justified, I was induced to give it up, adopting the besiS
means in our power to remedy the evil in question.
The beach near which we were lying is so bold, that, in standing ofE^
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 231
and-on in the afternoon, in more than one part, we had from seven to ten 18-26.
fathoms at two hundred yards from the shore ; to which distance, from the Jr^^"
confidence we had acquired in the regularity of the soundings, we had no
hesitation in standing as often as there was occasion to do so, and always
without ar.:.' apparent risk. So perfectly free from danger, indeed, is the
whole of 'lis coast, as long as the hand-leads are kept going, that it has
often occurred to me as not improbable, that the annual motion of large and
heavy masses of ice may in some degree prevent the accumulation of sandy
shoals near the shore, where local circumstances might otherwise tend to
produce them, as in other seas.
Shortly after our anchoring, the Griper's people heard the growling of a
bear among the ice near them, but the animal did not appear ; and this was
the only instance of our meeting with a bear, during our stay at Melville
Island, except that which followed one of our men to the ships, soon after
our arrival in Winter Harbour. Both crews were sent on shore to pick
sorrel, which was here not less abundant than at our old quarters, but it was
now almost too old to be palatable, having nearly lost its acidity and juice.
We were here a mile or two to the westward of Lieutenant Hoppner's
hunting-station, and the wall which he had built round his tents, with a
boarding-pike in the middle of it, was visible from the ships. The only
game we obtained here consisted of a few king-ducks, some of the young of
which were also procured.
The snow which fell in the night was, in the morning of the 3d, sue- Thurs. 3.
ceeded by a thick fog, which continued during the day, preventing our seeing
the state of the ice to the westward. I, therefore, despatched Mr. Palmer in
a boat to the point, for the purpose of ascertaining whether it was still close
there. On his return in an hour, Mr. Palmer reported that no alteration had
taken place since the preceding day, there not being sufficient room for the
smallest boat to pass between the ice and the point, close to which he found
a depth of nine fathoms. At night the wind got round to W.N.W., and after-
wards to north, which made the weather clear, and gave us hopes of the ice
drifting off the land.
At one A.M. on the 4ith, the loose ice was observed to be drifting in upon
us, the wind having veered to the eastward of north ; and soon after a
floe, of not less than five miles in length, and a mile and a half across, was
found to be approaching the shore at a quick rate. The ships were imme-
diately hauled as near the shore as possible, and preparation made for un-
'232 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1S20. shipping the rudders, if necessary. The floe was brought up, however, by
\,*4-vy the masses of ice a-ground outside of us, with which it successively came in
contact, and the ships remained in perfect security ; the floe, as usual after
the first violence is over, moved oflF again to a little distance from the shore.
•The meridian altitude of the sun gave the latitude of this station 74° 36' 06",
and the longitude by the chronometers was 111° 16' 39".
At noon the heavy floe at the point near us began to quit the land, and
at half-past one P.M., there being a narrow passage between them, the
breadth of which the breeze was constantly increasing, we cast off and
stretched to the westward. The channel which opened to us as we pro-
ceeded, varied in its general breadth from one to two miles ; in some places
it was not more than half a mile. The soundings were very regular, and
sufficiently deep close to the shore ; in one place we found twenty-three
fathoms at one hundred yards from the beach, in another fourteen at sixty
or seventy yards. At seven P.M., we passed the place where we had been
detained so long during the preceding September, and where Mr. Fife and
his party had been lost. We here seemed to be among our old acquaintance ;
and among these, the berg to which we had been anchored during so many
days of anxiety and fruitless labour was easily recognised, as well as the pile of
stones which had been erected on the hill above it. The wind was variable
and squally, but we made great progress along the land to the S.W.b.W., and
the Griper, by keeping up tolerably with the Hecla, in some measure re-
deemed her character with us. Having arrived off' Cape Providence at eleven
P.M., the wind became light and baffling, so that we had just got far enough
to see that there was a free and open channel, beyond the westernmost
point visible of Melville Island, when our progress was almost entirely
stopped for want of a breeze to enable us to take advantage of it. The
anxiety which such a detention occasions, in a sea where, without any ap-
parent cause, the ice frequently closes the shore in the most sudden manner,
can perhaps only be conceived by those who have experienced it. We had
now, also, arrived off" that part of the coast which, from Cape Providence
westward, is high and steep near the sea, having no beach or shelving shore
on which the heavy masses of ice can fix themselves, so as to afford security
to a ship when the floes approach the land, which circumstance increased
the anxiety we felt to push on, while the present opportunity offered^
^ith all rapidity to the westward. We remarked, in sailing near the ice
this evening, while the wind was blowing a fresh breeze off the land,
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 233
and therefore directly towards the ice, that it remained constantly calm 1820.
within three or four hundred yards of the latter ; this effect I never remember ^^^I!^'
to have witnessed before, upon the windward side of any collection of ice,
though it invariably happens in a remarkable degree to leeward of it. I may
here mention, as a striking proof of the accuracy with which astronomical
bearings of objects may be taken for marine surveys, that the relative bearing
of Capes Providence and Hay, as obtained this evening when the two head-
lands were opening, (being s.} 82° 38'{w,,) differed only one minute from
that entered in the surveying-book, and found in the same manner, the pre-
ceding year.
We had this evening occasion to observe once more that darkness in the
horizon to the southward, and as far as a S.S.W. bearing, which had been
noticed from this station in 1819, and more frequently since that time, during
our detention in Winter Harbour, as bearing a great resemblance to the loom
of land in that quarter. We were the more inclined to the belief that there
was land at no very great distance to the southward, from the conviction that
there must be something which prevented the ice being drifted off the shore
of Melville Islarfd in this place more than five or six miles, with any direction
or force of wind.
There was a very light air on the morning of the 5th, which died away an Sat. 5.
hour before noon, when the opportunity was taken to bring up some Avater
from the depth of one hundred and five fathoms. Its temperature on coming
to the surface was 32°, that of the surface water being 31°^, and of the air 34i°.
The depth of water here was two hundred and twenty-five fathoms, on a
bottom of dark brown clay, at the distance of four miles from the land ; the
latitude observed being 74° 21' 49", and the longitude by chronometers
112° 48' 18".
At one P.M., the weather continuing quite calm, and being desirous of
examining the ice in-shore, that we might be ready for the floes closing
upon us, 1 left the ship, accompanied by Captain Sabine and Mr. Edwards,
and landed near one of the numerous deep and broad ravines, with which
the whole of this part of the island is indented. All the ice which was here
fixed to the ground was literally upon the beach, with very deep water close
alongside of it, and none of the masses projected to a sufficient distance
from the shore, to afford the smallest shelter to the ships in case of accidents.
We saw several white hares here, and on this and many subsequent occasions
found them frequent the sides of the high banks which face the south, and
234 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1820. where there is usually a plentiful vegetation for them to feed upon. We
v.*^-s^' were ascending the hill, which was found by trigonometrical measurement
to be eight hundred and forty-seven feet above the level of the sea, and on
which Ave found no mineral production but sandstone and clay iron-stone,
when a breeze sprung up from the eastward, bringing up the Griper Avhich
had been left several miles astern. We only stopped, therefore, to obtain
observations for the longitude and the variation of the magnetic needle ; the
former of which was 112° 53' 32", and the latter 110° 56' 11" Easterly, and
then immediately returned on board, and made all sail to the westward.
After running for two hours without obstruction, we were once more mortified
in perceiving that the ice, in very extensive and unusually heavy floes, closed
in with the land a little to the westward of Cape Hay, and our channel of
clear water between the ice and the land gradually diminished in breadth
till at length it became necessary to take in the studding sails, and to haul
to the wind, to look about us. I immediately left the ship, and went in a
boat to examine the grounded ice off a small point of land, such as always
occurs on this coast at the outlet of each ravine. I found that this point
offered the only possible shelter which could be obtained, in case of the ice
coming in ; and I, tlierefore, determined to take the Hecla in-shore immedi-
ately, and to pick out the best birth which circumstances would admit. As I
was returning on board with this intention I found that the ice was already
rapidly approaching the shore ; no time was to be lost, therefore, in getting
the Hecla to her intended station, which was effected by half-past eight P.M.,
being in nine to seven fathoms water, at the distance of twenty yards from
the beach, which was lined all round the point with very heavy masses
of ice, that had been forced by some tremendous pressure into the ground.
Our situation was a dangerous one, having no shelter from ice coming
from the westward, the whole of which, being distant from us less than half
a mile, was composed of floes infinitely more heavy than any we had else-
where met with during the voyage. The Griper was three or four miles
astern of us at the time the ice began to close, and I therefore directed
Lieutenant Liddon by signal to secure his ship in the best manner he could,
without a,ttempting to join the Hecla ; he accordingly made her fast at
eleven P.M., near a point like that at which we were lying, and two or three
miles to the eastward.
At the time of making the Hecla fast, a currejit was setting to the west-
ward, at the rate of a mile and a half an hour, with a strong eddy running
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 235
into the bight where we lay; at ten P.M. it took a sudden turn, all the loose 1820.
ice near us running past the ship out of the bight, and the floes outside ■'^"S"*'^-
beginning to set to the eastward, and towards the land withal. We, therefore,
hauled the ship still more into the bight formed by the point, getting her into
four fathoms abaft and six forward, and abreast a part of the beach where there
was not quite so much heavy ice within us, to endanger the ship being
crushed. This was done from a belief that, if the floes came in, the ship
must inevitably be " nipped," and in this case it was better to be lying in
six fathoms than nine ; besides, the masses of ice now inside of us, not
being so large as the rest, might possibly be forced up on the shore before
the ship, instead of offering so great a resistance as to expose her to all the
force of the squeeze. On the whole of this steep coast, wherever we
approached the shore, we found a thick stratum of blue and solid ice, firmly
embedded in the beach, at the depth of from six to ten feet under the surface
of the water. This ice has probably been the lower part of heavy masses
forced aground by the pressure of the floes from without, and still adhering
to the viscous mud of which the beach is composed, after the upper part has,
in course of time, dissolved. Captain Sabine suggested, that the under-
ground ice found in cold countries, and to which I have before alluded, might
thus have been deposited. The land gains upon the sea, as it is called, in
process of time, as it has certainly done here, from the situation in which we
found drift-wood and the skeletons of whales : the ice which fixes itself upon
the beach is annually covered over in part by alluvial deposit, and thus may
a connected stratum of it be buried for ages several feet below the surface of
the earth. From the tops of the hills in this part of Melville Island a conti-
nuous line of this sub-marine ice could be distinctly traced for miles along
the coast.
In running along the shore this evening, we had noticed near the sea what
at a distance had every appearance of a high wall artificially built, and which
was the resort of numerous birds. Captain Sabine, being desirous to examine
it, as well as to procure some specimens of the birds, set out, as soon as we
anchored, for that purpose, accompanied by his servant and Serjeant Martin.
The wall proved to be composed of sand-stone in horizontal strata from
twenty to thiily feet in height, which had been left standing, so as to exhibit
its present artificial appearance, by the decomposition of the rock and earth
about it. Large flocks of glaucous gulls had chosen this as a secure retreat
from the foxes, and every other enemy but man ; and when our people first
236 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1S20. went into the ravine in which it stands, they were so fierce in defence of
^^i^!i^" their young, that it was scarcely safe to approach them till a few shots had
been fired.
Sun. 6. Besides a number of gulls, Captain Sabine and his party brought with
them ten hares, which, together with what we had obtained as we came
along the land, furnished us with a fresh meal for the whole crew. Captain
Sabine also brought me word from Lieutenant Liddon that the Griper was in
a situation exactly similar to that of the Hecla, where " nipping" appeared
unavoidable if the floes should come in. The ice remained quiet, however,
about the Hecla during the day, even though a strong breeze freshened
up from the E.S.E., with continued snow; a circumstance which, while it
added to our present security, did not give us very flattering hopes that there
could be any room for the ice to drift to the westward. In the course of the
evening I heard again from the Griper, Lieutenant Liddon informing me that
the floes had once come in towards her, so as to lift her two feet out of
the water, and then retired without doing any damage. I acquainted
Lieutenant Liddon with the similarity of our situation to his, and desired
him not to join us at present, even should the ice open sufficiently to allow
him to do so ; for there was not room for the two ships where the Hecla was
lying, and the chances of saving one of them from the catastrophe we had
reason to apprehend, were greater by their being separate. At eleven P.M. a
narrow Ian* of water opened near the Griper, extending about three miles to
the S.S.W. ; near us it had also slackened a little about midnight, but it would
have been difficult to find a " hole" of water in which a boat could have floated,
more than three hundred yards beyond the ship.
Mon. 7. On the morning of the 7th, a black whale (Balcena Mysticetus), came up,,
close to the Hecla, being the first we had seen since the 22d of August theJ
preceding year, about the longitude of 91°| W. ; it therefore acquired among,
us the distinctive appellation of th& whale. Since leaving Winter Harbourjt
we had also, on two or three occasions, seen a solitary seal. The wind con-.^
tinned fresh from the east and E.N.E. in the morning, and the loose ice came ■
close in upon us, but the main body remained stationary at the distance of
nearly half a mile. Considering that it might be of service to know theii
state of the ice further to the south and west than the view from the Hecla'S(
mast-head would allow us, I despatched Lieutenant Beechey with oneij
of the marines, along the top of the hills to the westward, for that pur-'j
pose. At two P.M., he returned with a fawn, which gave us thirty-eightjj
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 237
pounds of venison, and with the information of having discovered land from 1820.
W.S.W. to S.S.W. at a great distance, and the loom of it also extending as ■^)^!i^'
far round to the eastward as a S.E. bearing. Lieutenant Beechey con-
sidered the general distance of the land to be from forty to fifty miles, the
nearest being about a S.S.W. bearing, and three capes could be plainly dis-
tinguished with a glass. The report of the state of the ice was by no means
favourable to our hopes, the sea being covered with floes as far as the eye
could reach, and the space between them so filled with broken ice, or the
floes so closely joined, that scarcely a " hole" of water was to be seen.
In the afternoon, a man from each mess was sent on shore to pick sorrel,
which was here remarkably fine and large, as well as more acid than any we
had lately met with. The shelter from the northerly winds, afforded by the
high land on this part of the coast, together with its southern aspect, renders
the vegetation here immediately next the sea much more luxuriant than in
most parts of Melville Island which we visited ; and a considerable addition
was made to our collection of plants, of which an account is given in
another place.
The easterly breeze died away in the course of the day, and at three
P.M., was succeeded by a light air from the opposite quarter; and as this
freshened up a little, the loose ice began to drift into our bight, and
that on the eastern side of the point to drive off. It became expedient,
therefore, immediately to shift the ship round the point, where she was made
fast in four fathoms abaft, and seventeen feet forward, close alongside the
usual ledge of submarine ice, which touched her about seven feet under
water, and which, having few of the heavy masses aground upon it,
would, probably, have allowed her to be pushed over it, had a heavy
pressure occurred from without. It was the more necessary to moor the ship
in some such situation, as we found from six to seven fathoms' water, by
dropping the hand-lead down close to her bow and quarter on the outer
side.
We had scarcely secured the ship, when the wind once more shifted to '
the eastward, and the loose ice almost immediately began to move back in
the opposite direction. The wind being, however, rather off the land than
otherwise, I preferred remaining in our present situation, on account of
tlie safer beach which we found here ; and a& there was, in other respects,
\ht\e or no choice betwixt the two places, unless the wind came more on the
land. At half-past ten P.M., the loose ice began to fill up the small space which
238 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
had hitherto been clear about the ship, although the wind was at N.E.,
which is more off the land than we had before experienced it. Several
heavy pieces of floes drove close past us, not less than ten or fifteen feet in
thickness, but they were fortunately stopped by the point of land without
coming in upon us. At eleven o'clock, however, a mass of this kind,
being about half an acre in extent, drove in, and gave the ship a consider-
able " nip" between it and the land-ice, and then grazed past her to the
westward. I now directed the rudder to be unhung, and the ship to be
swung with her head to the eastward, so that the bow, being the strongest
part, might receive the first and heaviest pressure.
Tues. 8. The ice did not disturb us again till five A.M. on the 8th, when another
floe-piece came in, and gave the ship a heavy rub, and then went past, after
which it continued slack about us for several hours. Every thing was so
quiet at nine o'clock, as to induce me to venture up the hill abreast of us,
in order to have a view of the newly-discovered land to the south-west,
which, indeed, I had seen indistinctly and much refracted from the Hecla's
deck in the morning. The weather being rather unfavourable, I had not so
dear a view as Lieutenant Beechey, but I distinctly saw high and bold land
from S. 75° W. to S. 30° W., the part most plainly visible, and appearing
the nearest, being at a S. 55° W. bearing. The general distance of this
land, I considered to be somewhat greater than that at which Lieutenant
Beechey had estimated it, and it is placed on the chart at from sixteen to
eighteen leagues from the station at which the ships were lying. This land,
which extends beyond the 117th degree of west longitude, and is the
most western yet discovered in the Polar Sea, to the northward of the
American Continent, was honoured with the name of Banks's Land, out of
respect to the late venerable and worthy President of the Royal Society,
whose long life was actively engaged in the encouragement and promotion of
discovery and general science.
The loom of land was frequently seen as far as a south-east bearing from
the present station of the ships, which corresponds with the appearances
often observed during our stay in Winter Harbour ; as I have scarcely a
doubt, therefore, that this forms a continuation of Banks's Land, which is,
in all probability, another island of the North Georgian group, I have
marked it on the chart by an unshaded line as far as the above bearing.
-From the top of the hill, not a "hole" could be seen in the ice in any
direction ; the wind being extremely variable during the day, kept us in
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 239
a constant state of anxiety, lest the ice should come in, but it gave us no 1820.
disturbance. A few hares were brought in by our sportsmen, and a dovekey J^^'
was seen, being the first for this season.
On the morning of the 9th, a musk-ox came down to graze on the beach, Wed. 9.
near the ships. A party was despatched in pursuit, and having hemmed him
in under the hill, which was too steep for him to ascend, succeeded in killing
him. When first brought on board, the inside of this animal, which was a
male, smelt very strongly of musk, of which the whole of the meat also
tasted, more or less, and especially the heart. A description of this animal
being given in the Appendix. I shall only add respecting it, that it furnished
us with four hundred and twenty-one pounds of beef, which was served
to the crews as usual, in lieu of their salt provisions, and Avas very much
relished by us, notwithstanding the peculiarity of its flavour*. The meat was
remarkably fat, and, as it hung up in quarters, looked as fine as any beef in
an English market. A small seal, (Phoca Vitulina), killed by the Griper's
people, was also eaten by them; and.it was generally allowed to be very
tender and palatable, though not very sightly in its appearance, being of a
disagreeable red colour.
In the morning-watch, a breeze sprung up from the Avestward, which we
were always ready to welcome, having found that it invariably seized to open
the ice, while an easterly wind as constantly made it closer. This was,
however, of short duration, being succeeded soon after noon by a light air
from the south-east, which brought all the loose ice into our bight. At half-
past three P.M., a large piece of a very heavy floe came close to us, and
would have given us a " nip" against the shore, had we not avoided it by
heaving the ship a few yards a-head in good time. It was then brought up by
the point of land, and remained quietly half a cable's length astern of us, there
not being room for it to drift farther to the westward between the point and an
enormous floe which blocked up the passage to the southward and westward.
At ten P.M., the whole body of ice which was then a quarter of a mile from
us, was found to be drifting in upon the land, and the ship was warped back
a little way to the westward, towards that part of the shore, which was
most favourable for allowing her to be forced up on the beach. At eleven
* Some pieces of this meat, which we brought to England, were found to have acquired
a much more disagreeable flavour than when first killed, though they had not undergone
putrefaction in the slightest degree.
240 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1820. o'clock, the piece of a floe, which came near us in the afternoon, and which
t)i^^' had since drifted back a few hundred yards to the eastward, received the
pressure of the whole body of ice, as it came in. It split across in various
directions, with a considerable crash, and presently after we saw a part,
several hundred tons in weight, raised slowly and majestically, as if by the
application of a screw, and deposited on another part of the floe from which
it had broken, presenting towards us the surface that had split, which was of
a fine blue colour, and very solid and transparent. The violence with which
the ice was coming in being thus broken, it remained quiet during the
night, which was calm, with a heavy fall of snow.
Thur. 10. The mass of ice which had been lifted up the preceding day, being drifted
close to us on the morning of the 10th, I sent Lieutenant Beechey to measure
its thickness, which proved to be forty-two feet ; and, as it was a piece of a
regular floe, this measurement may serve to give some idea of the general thick-
ness of the ice in this neighbourhood. There were some, however, which were
of much larger dimensions ; an immense floe which formed the principal, or
at least the nearest, obstruction to the westward, was covered with large
hummocks, giving to its upper surface the appearance of hill and dale, some-
what in this manner :
The thickness of this floe at its nearest edge was six or seven feet above the
sea, and as about six-sevenths are usually immersed, the whole thickness
would appear, in the common way of reckoning it, to have been from forty
to fifty feet, which corresponds with that actually measured by Lieutenant
Beechey. But the hummocks were many of them at least from fifteen to
twenty-five feet above the sea; so that the solidity and thickness of this
enormous floe must have been infinitely greater than any thing we had seen
before. It was the opinion of Lieutenant Beechey, and of Messrs. Allison
and Fife, that it very much resembled the ice met with at Spitzbergen ;
but, according to the account of the two latter, was much heavier than
any which they had seen there ; Lieutenant Beechey considered that
there was much more snow upon the surface of the Spitzbergen ice. It
is here of some importance to notice, that the " loose ice" in this neigh-
bourhood was on the same increased scale as the floes, so that the danger
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 241
to be apprehended from the violent contact of one of these pieces was 1820.
little less than that from a floe of ordinary size, such as occurs in Baffin's Ji^'
Bay. This circumstance, also, very materially altered the character of the
navigation on that part of the coast, for the loose pieces being most of
them of infinitely greater bulk and weight in the water than either of our ships,
the latter could no longer turn them out of their way, as usual, in sailing
among this kind of ice, but were invariably stopped short in their progress,
with a violent concussion, which nothing but their extraordinary strength
could have enabled them to withstand.
It noAV became evident, from the combined experience of this and the pre-
ceding year, that there was something peculiar about the south-west extremity
of Melville Island, which made the icy sea there extremely unfavourable to
navigation, and which seemed likely to bid defiance to all our efforts to
proceed much farther to the westward in this parallel of latitude. We had
arrived off it on the 17th of September, 1819, after long and heavy gales
from the north-westward, by which alone the ice is ever opened on this
coast, and found it, in unusually heavy and extensive fields, completely
closing in with the land, a mile or two to the eastward of where we were
now lying. We again arrived here in the early part of August, and though
the rest of the navigation had been remarkably clear for the fifty miles
between this and Winter Harbour, seeming to afford a presumptive proof,
that the season was rather a favourable one than otherwise, the same ob-
struction presented itself as before ; nor did there appear, from our late
experience, a reasonable ground of hope, that any fortuitous circum-
stance, such as an alteration in winds or currents, was likely to remove
the formidable impediments which we had now to encounter. The in-
creased dimensions of the ice hereabouts would not alone have created an
insurmountable difficulty in the navigation, but that it was very naturally
accompanied by a decree of closeness which seldom or never admitted
an open space of clear water of sufficient size for a ship, or even a boat, to
sail in. We had been lying near our present station with an easterly wind
blowing fresh for thirty-six hours together; and although this was consi-
derably oflFthe land, beyond the western point of the island now in sight, the
ice had not, during the whole of that time, moved a single yard from the
shore ; affording a proof that there was no space in which the ice was at liberty
to move to the westward, and offering a single and a striking exception to our
former experience.
242 ^ VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1820. Under these circumstances, I began to consider whether it would not be
"^IJ^' advisable, whenever the ice would allow us to move, to sacrifice a few miles
of the westing we had already made, and to run along the margin of the
floes, in order to endeavour to find an opening leading to the southward, by
taking advantage of which we might be enabled to prosecute the voyage to
the westward in a lower latitude. I was the more inclined to make this
attempt, from its having long become evident to us, that the navigation of this
part of the Polar Sea is only to be performed by watching the occasional
openings between the ice and the shore ; and that, therefore, a continuity of
land is essential, if not absolutely necessary, for this purpose. Such a con-
tinuity of land, which was here about to fail us, must necessarily be furnished
by the northern coast of America, in whatsoever latitude it may be found ;
and, as a large portion of our short season had already been occupied in
fruitless attempts to penetrate further to the westward in our present parallel,
under circumstances of more than ordinary risk to the ships, I determined,
whenever the ice should open sufficiently, to put into execution the plan I had
proposed.
The westerly wind cleared us by slow degrees of the loose masses of ice
about the ship, and in the afternoon the main body went off about three
hundred yards, drifting also a little to the eastward. It may always be
expected, in icy seas, that a breeze of wind, however light, will set the ice
in motion, if there be any room for it to move; in such 'cases, the smaller
pieces of course begin to drift the first, and the heavier ones soon follow,
though at a slower rate : among loose ice,- therefore, almost every separate
piece is seen to move with a different velocity, proportioned to its depth
under water.
Having gone on shore in the evening to make some observations for the
variation, I afterwards ascended the hill, in order to take a view of the state
of the ice in the offing. The breeze had now begun to open several " holes,"
particularly in the west and south-east quarters ; it was most loose in the
latter direction, except close along the land to the eastward, where a ship
might possibly have been got, had this been our immediate object. The ice,
however, looked just as promising to the westward as in any other quarter,
and I found, before I returned on board, that it continued to drift to the
eastward, and to leave more and more space of clear water in the required
direction. I, therefore, communicated to Lieutenant Liddon my intention of
pushing on to the westward the instant the sea became clear enough for the
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 243
ships to make any progress with a beating wind; but, in the event of failing 1820.
to do so, that I should next try what could be done by attempting a passage Ji^^'
considerably to the southward of our present parallel.
At seven P.M., we shipped the rudder, and crossed the top-gallant yards,
in readiness for moving ; and I then again ascended the hill, and walked a
mile to the westward, along the brow of it, that not a moment might be lost,
after the ice to the westward should give us the slightest hope of making any
progress by getting under-way. Although the holes had certainly increased
in size and extent, there was still not sufficient room even for one of our
boats to have worked to windward ; and the impossibility of the ships' doing so
wa& rendered more apparent, on account of the current which, as I have before
had occasion to remark, is always produced in these seas, soon after the
springing up of a breeze, and which was now running to the eastward, at
the rate of at least one mile per hour. It was evident, that any attempt to
get the ships to the westward must, under circumstances so unfavourable, be
attended with the certain consequence of their being drifted the contrary
way ; and nothing could, therefore, be done but still to watch, which we did
most anxiously, every alteration in the state of the ice. The wind, how-
ever, decreasing as the night came on, served to diminish the hopes with
which we had flattered ourselves of being speedily extricated from our
present confined and dangerous situation. At half-past ten P.M., Lieutenant
Beechey, at my request, ascended the hill ; and, on his return at eleven
o'clock, reported that, " the ice was slack from W.b.N. to W.S.W., but that,
without a leading wind, it did not appear tlrnt a ship could make any way
among it."
At one A.M., on the 11th, I despatched Mr. Ross to the top of the hill, Frid.ll.
from whence he observed, that " the ice had slackened considerably from
W.b.S. to south, but was still too close for a ship to work among it." At this
time the wind was dying away gradually ; and, at four A.M., when Mr. Ross
again ascended the hill, it had fallen quite calm. The ice immediately
ceased to drift to the eastward, and at half-past five, a light breeze springing
up from the south-east, caused it at once to return in the opposite direction.
Being desirous, if possible, to take advantage of this breeze. Lieutenant
Beechey and myself again went on shore, in order to form a judgment
whether there was room for the ships to sail among the ice, should it appear
otherwise expedient to get them under- Avay. We agreed that it was by no
means practicable with the present light wind, which would scarcely have
24$ VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1820. given them steerage-way, even in a clear and unincumbered sea, and much
Ji^il^' less, therefore, could have enabled them to force their way through the
numberless heavy masses which lay in our way to the westward. So close,
indeed, did the ice about us still continue, that it was necessary to shift
the Hecla once more round to the westward of the point of land, to secure
her from that which the change of wind was once more bringing back in
great abundance, and at the rate of nearly a mile per hour. In an hour
after we had effected this, I had reason to be satisfied with the deter-
mination to which I had come, of not getting the ships under- way, for there
was literally not a single " hole" of open water visible from the mast-head,
in which a boat would have floated, except immediately under the lee of
the point where we were lying, and within one hundred yards of the ship.
The latitude observed at our present station was 74° 25' 35", the longitude,
by chronometers, 113° 43' 01", and the variation of the magnetic needle,
106° 06' 38" Easterly, each of these being the mean of several observations
taken on different days. There was nothing in the appearance or productions
of this part of the island different from those which had been found elsewhere,
except that the ravines were more strikingly grand and picturesque, in con-
sequence of the greater height of the land upon this part of the coast : this,
as I have before remarked, was found, in one instance, to exceed eight
hundred feet above the level of the sea ; and the hills, immediately at the
back of this, at the distance of nine or ten miles, appeared to be at least
one or two hundred feet higher; so that the extreme height of Melville
Island, as far as we had an opportunity of seeing it, may, perhaps, be
fairly estimated at about one thousand feet. The rocks consisted entirely of
sandstone in horizontal strata, and the soil of sand, intermixed occasionally
- with decayed plants, forming here and there a sort of vegetable mould, on
Avhich the other plants, and a few tufts of very luxuriant moss, were
growing: we remarked, that almost the whole of the plants had a part
of their flowers cropped by the hares, and other animals which are fond
of feeding in the sheltered and warm situations afforded by the banks next
the sea.
The weather was foggy for some hours in the morning, but cleared up in
the afternoon, as the sun acquired power. The wind increased to a fresh
gale from the eastward, at nine P.M., being the second time that it had done
so, while we had been lying at this station ; a circumstance which we were
the more inclined to notice, as the easterly winds had hitherto been more
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 245
faint and less frequent than those from the westward. In this respect, 1820.
therefore, we considered ourselves unfortunate, as experience had already Jl^^'
shewn us, that none but a westerly wind ever produced upon this coast,
or, indeed, on the southern coast of any of the North Georgian Islands, the
desired effect of clearing the shores of ice.
At nine P.M., Lieutenant Beechey could discover from the top of the hill
no clear water in any direction. After ten o'clock the wind blew much
harder, Avhich obliged us to strike the top-gallant yards, and to brace the
yards to the wind ; tlie ice had by this time ceased moving to the westward,
having apparently, as before, reached its ne plus ultra in that direction. The
electrometer was tried in the course of the evening, in the usual manner, the
sky being full of hard dense clouds, and the wind blowing strong; but no
sensible effect was produced upon the gold leaf.
The gale continued strong during the night, and the ice quite stationary. Sat. 12.
Not a pool of clear water could be seen in any direction, except just under
the lee of our point, where there was a space larg;e enough to contain half a
dozen sail of ships, till about noon, when the whole closed in upon us without
any apparent cause, except that the wind blew in irregular puffs about that
time, and at one P.M. it was alongside. The ship was placed in the most
advantageous manner for taking the beach, or rather the shelf of submarine
ice, and the rudder again unshipped and hung across the stem. Tlie ice
which came in contact with the ship's side consisted of very heavy loose
pieces, drawing twelve or fourteen feet water, which, however, we considered
as good " fenders," comparatively with the enormous fields which covered
the sea just without them. So much, indeed, do we judge at all times by
comparison, that this kind of ice, which in Davis' Strait we should not like
to have had so near us, was now considered of infinite service, when inter-
posed between the ship and the heavier floes. Every thing remained quiet
for the rest of the day, without producing any pressure of consequence ; the
wind came round to N.b.E. at night, but without moving the ice off the land.
Early in the morning of the 13th, I received, by Mr. Griffiths, a message Sun. 13.
from Lieutenant Liddon, acquainting me that at eleven o'clock on the pre-
ceding night the ice had been setting slowly to the westward, and had at
the same time closed in upon the land where the Griper was lying, by which
means she was forced against the submarine ice, and her stern lifted two feet
out of the water. This pressure. Lieutenant Liddon remarked, had given
her a twist which made her crack a good deal, but apparently without suf-
24iB VOYAGE FOR, THE DISCOVERY
1820. fering any material injury in her hull, though the ice was still pressing upon
■^)i="^' her when Mr. Griffiths came away. She had at first heeled inwards, but on
being lifted higher, fell over towards the deep water. Under these circum-
stances. Lieutenant Liddon had very properly landed all the journals and
other documents of importance, and made every arrangement in his power
for saving the provisions and stores, in case of shipwreck, which he had now
every reason to anticipate. Convinced as I was that no human art or power
could, in our present situation, prevent such a catastrophe, whenever the
pressure of the ice became sufficient, I was more than ever satisfied with the
determination to which I had previously come, of keeping the ships apart,
during the continuance of these untoward circumstances, in order to increase
the chance of saving one of them from accidents of this nature. I, therefore,
thought it right merely to direct Lieutenant Liddon's attention to the ne-
cessity of saving the provisions and fuel, in preference to any other species
of stores, and established signals to be made upon the point of land which in-
tervened between the ships, in case of any thing occurring. In the mean
• time, the ice remained so close about the Hecla, that the slightest pressure
producing in it a motion towards the shore, must have placed us in a situation
similar to that of the Griper; and our attention was, therefore, diverted to the
more important object of providing, by every means in our power, for the
security of the larger ship, as being the principal depot of provisions and
other resources.
At five P.M. Lieutenant Liddon acquainted me by letter, that the Griper
had at length righted, the ice having slackened a little around her, and that
all the damage she appeared to have sustained waS in her rudder, which was
badly split, and would require some hours' labour to repair it, whenever the
ice should allow him to get it on shore. He also stated that, from the par-
ticular situation into which the Griper had been forced, and of the masses of
ice immediately about her, a westerly wind, though it might eventually clear
the shore, would in the first place subject her to another squeeze like that
from which she had just been so opportunely released. Lieutenant Beechey
observed from the hill, in the course of the day, that the ice was so compact
as not to leave an opening in any direction, and that it was set so close
against the shore, that nothing could have passed between them. It had
moved off a few yards from the Hecla for two or three hours, and in the
evening closed again, so as to press her firmly against the land, though
without any material strain. This pressure arose principally from the ap-
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 247
proach of the large block of ice which I have described as having been raised 1820.
up on the 9th, and which, having been frequently drifted backwards and "^li^"
forwards past the ship since that time, had once more stationed itself rather
nearer to us than we fcould have wished. I may here remark that this mass,
of which we knew the dimensions by actual measurement, served, when
driving among the heavy floes in the offing, as a standard of comparison, by
Avhich the height of the latter above the sea, and thence their whole bulk,
could be estimated with tolerable accuracy ; and it was principally in this
manner that a judgment was formed of those enormous fields with which this
part of the sea was incumbered. There was a very light air from the south-
ward and eastward for the greater part of the evening, and a fog came on as
the atmosphere cooled at night.
Soon after midnight the ice pressed closer in upon the Hecla than before, Mon. 14.
giving her a heel of eighteen inches towards the shore, but without appearing
to strain her in the slightest degree. Most of the boats had been lowered
down, and securely moored upon the beach, to prevent their being damaged,
should the ship be forced upon her broadside, and the rest were now placed
in a similar situation. By four P.M., the pressure had gradually decreased,
and the ship had only three or four inches heel ; in an hour after she had
perfectly righted, and the ice remained quiet for the rest of the day. A
light easterly wind, with small snow at times, continued till six A.M., when
it died away, and was soon after succeeded by a gentle air from the westward.
Mr. Fisher tried an experiment on the specific gravity of a piece of floe-
ice taken up from alongside the ship, by which it appeared to be heavier
than that we had hitherto weighed in the same manner. Being formed into
a cube, whose sides measured one foot two inches and seven-tenths, and
placed to float in the sea, only one inch and eight-tenths of it remained
above the surface. The temperature of the sea-water at the time, was 34°,
and its specific gravity 1.0105.
The weather became foggy, with small rain in the afternoon ; before the
fog came on, however, Mr. Ross obsei-ved from the hill that the same un-
varied surface of impenetrable ice, as before, presented itself in every direc-
tion ; and a note from Lieutenant Liddon acquainted me that no alteration
had lately taken place in the neighbourhood of the Griper.
Every moment's additional detention now served to confirm me in the
opinion I had formed, as to the expediency of trying, at all risks, to pene-
trate to the southward, whenever the ice would allow us to move at all.
248 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1820. rather than persevere any longer in the attempts we had been lately making
K^^^' with so little success, to push on directly to the westward. I, therefore,
gave Lieutenant Liddon an order to run back a certain distance to the east-
ward, whenever he could do so, without waiting for the Hecla, should
that ship be still detained ; and to look out for any opening in the ice to the
southward, which might seem likely to favour the object I had in view,
waiting for me to join him, should any such opening occur.
The westerly breeze freshening up, with continued snow, the ice about
the ship began to move at seven P.M. The usual superficial current was
soon observed to make, carrying with it to the eastward the loose and broken
fragments of ice. At eight o'clock the heavier masses had also acquired
motion, and it became necessary to shelter the Hecla from their approach
by shifting her once more to the eastward of the point. In doing this, we
found the current at the extreme point running at the rate of two, or two and
a half miles an hour, so as to require great caution in laying out our warps
to prevent the ship being carried back to the eastward ; and this not three
hours after it had first begun to make. The frequent experience we had of the
quickness with which currents are thus formed, in consequence merely of the
wind setting the various bodies of ice in motion, naturally leads to this
useful caution, that one or two trials of the set of the stream in icy seas
must not be too hastily assumed in drawing any conclusion as to its constant
or periodical direction. I am convinced, indeed, that, of all the circum-
stances which render the navigation among ice so precarious and uncertain,
there is none so liable to constant alteration, and on which, therefore, so
little dependence can be placed, as an indication of the existence of a
passage in this or that direction, as the set and velocity of the superficial
currents.
Tues. 15. The breeze died away in the course of the night, just as the ice was
beginning to separate, and to drift away from the shore ; and, being suc-
ceeded by a wind off the land, which is here very unusual. Lieutenant
Liddon was enabled to make sail upon the Griper at two A.M. on the 15th,
in execution of the orders I had given him. As I soon perceived, however,
that she made little or no way, the wind drawing more to the eastward on
that part of the coast, and as the clear water was increasing along the shore
to the westward, much farther than we had yet seen it, I made the signal
of recall to the Griper, with the intention of making another attempt, Avhich'
the present favourable appearances seemed to justify, to push forward-
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 249
without delay in the desired direction. At five A.M., therefore, as soon as i820.
the snow had cleared away sufficiently to allow the signal to be distinguished, ^;,^^^:
we cast off, and ran along shore, the wind having by this time veered to the
E.b.N., and blowing in strong puffs out of the ravines as we passed them.
We sailed along, generally at the distance of a hundred or a hundred and
fifty yards from the beach, our soundings being from ten to seventeen
fathoms ; and, after running a mile and a half in a N.W.b.W. direction, once
more found the ice offering an impenetrable obstacle to our progress west-
ward, at a small projecting point of land just beyond us. We, therefore,
hauled the ship into a birth which we were at this moment fortunate in
finding abreast of us, and where we were enabled to place the Hecla
within a number of heavy masses of grounded ice, such as do not often occur
on this steep coast, and which, comparatively with the situation we had lately
left, appeared a perfect harbour. In the mean time, the wind had failed our
consort, when she was a mile and a half short of this place ; and Lieutenant
Liddon, after endeavouring in vain to warp up to us, was obliged, by the ice
suddenly closing upon him, to place her in-shore in the first situation he
could find, which proved to be in very deep water, as well as otherwise so
insecure, as not to admit a hope of saving the ship, should the ice continue
to press in upon her. It now became of essential importance to endeavour
to get the Hecla so far into security in her present situation, as to allow of
assistance being sent to the Griper in case of accidents. With this view, I
assembled the officers and ship's company, and having acquainted them with
my intention, caused such arrangements to be made for sending parties
round, accompanied by proper officers, as might prevent confusion whenever
that measure became necessary. The plan proposed was, to cut large scut-
tles or holes in the decks, if time were allowed for doing so, whenever the
wreck of the ship should appear to be unavoidable, in order to allow the
casks of provision to float up out of the hold, as in any other case they must
have sunk with the ship, in deep water. The Hecla's crew were set to work
to saw off some thick tongues of ice, which prevented her going into a sort
of" natural dock," as the sailors term it, formed by the masses of grounded
ice ; a tedious and cold operation, which they performed with their usual
alacrity, and thus placed the ship in complete security. I then walked
round to the Griper, to acquaint Lieutenant Liddon with the arrangements
that had been made, and to consult with him as to the other means to
be adopted for her safety, and the preservation of the stores. We were
250 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1820. shortly afterwards, however, relieved from any further apprehension on this
'^•^' account, by the ice gradually receding from the shore, in consequence of a
westerly breeze springing up, and allowing the Griper to warp up near
the Hecla, where, though she was by no means so safe as that ship, she
was at least placed in a situation, with which the extraordinary nature of
our late navigation taught us to be satisfied.
Mr. Fisher found very good sport in our new station, having returned in
the evening, after a few hours' excursion, with nine hares ; the birds had, of
late, almost entirely deserted us, a flock or two of ptarmigan and snow-
buntings, a few glaucous gulls, a raven, and an owl, being all that had been
Wed. 16. met with for several days.
A fog which had prevailed during the night, cleared away in the morning of
the 16th, and a very fine day succeeded, with a moderate breeze from the
westward. In order to have a clear and distinct view of the state of the ice,
after twenty-four hours' wind from that quarter. Captain Sabine, Mr. Edwards,
and myself, walked about two miles to the westward, along the high part of
the land next the sea, from whence it appeared but too evident that no
passage in this direction was yet to be expected. The only clear water
in sight was a channel of about three-quarters of a mile wide in some places,
between the ice and the land, extending as far as a bold headland, bearing
N. 52° W., distant two miles and a quarter, which formed the western ex-
treme in sight, and was called Cape Dundas, as appropriate to the name
which the island had received. The ice to the west and south-west was as
solid and compact, to all appearance, as so much land; to which, indeed,
the surface of many of the fields, from the kind of hill and dale I have
before endeavoured to describe, bore no imperfect resemblance. I have
no doubt that, had it been our object to circumnavigate Melville Island,
or, on the other hand, had the coast continued its westerly direction
instead of turning to the northward, we should still have contrived to pro-
ceed a little occasionally, as opportunities offered, notwithstanding the
increased obstruction which here presented itself; but as neither of these
was the case, there seemed little or nothing to hope for from any
further attempts to prosecute the main object of the voyage in this place.
I determined, therefore, no longer to delay the execution of my former inten-
tions, and to make trial, if possible, of a more southern latitude, in which I
might follow up the success that had hitherto attended our exertions.
The place to which we had now walked, was the eastern bank of the
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 251
largest ravine we had ever seen upon the island ; its width at the part next
the sea being above half a mile, and its sides, which are nearly per-
pendicular, not less than eight hundred feet in height. In watching the
little stream, not more than a yard or two wide and a few inches in
depth, now trickling along the bottom of this immense water-course, it was
impossible not to be forcibly struck with the consideration of the time
which must have been required, with means apparently so inadequate,
to hew out so vast a bed for the annual discharge of the winter's snow
into the ocean. We here met with no other mineral than sandstone ; the
formation of the rocks, as far as we could see them in the ravines, here and
there resembled large upright masses, or square pillars, standing amidst
the debris which surrounded them ; in other places, a range of sandstone, in
thin horizontal strata, was left in the same manner, having all the appear-
ance of a wall artificially constructed, and on these a square part sometimes
occurred, higher than the rest, not unlike chimneys, for which, in an
inhabited country, they might easily have been taken at a little distance.
In some of the higher parts of the land, upon the brink of the precipice
which overlooks the sea, we remarked almost the first commencement of
ravines, consisting of small channels a yard or two in depth, and which, as
we then amused ourselves by reflecting, may one day resemble those im-
mense beds which constitute the most sublime and picturesque feature
that this island can boast. I have before remarked that, at the outlet of
these ravines, there is always a small point of land, formed by the soil and
stones which are there carried into the ocean ; I repeat this observation, for
the sake of adding that, in cases of danger from the sudden closing of
the ice, a ship may always be sure of meeting with one of these points,
which are too small to be seen at a distance, or to be delineated on
the chart, by steering for one of the ravines, the latter being easily distin-
guishable when several miles from the land.
The station at which the ships were now lying, and which is the westernmost
point to which the navigation of the Polar Sea to the northward of the
American continent has yet been carried, is in latitude 74° 26' 25", and
longitude, by chronometers, 113° 46' 43 ".5. Cape Dundas is in latitude
74° 27' 50", longitude 113° 57' 35", by which the length of Melville Island, in
an E.N.E. and W.S.W. direction,. appears to be about one hundred and thirty-
five miles, and its breadth, about the meridian of Winter Harbour, from forty
to fifty miles.
252 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1820. At two P.M. we cast off from the shore, and ran close along the edge of
^^^^^ the ice to the eastward, the general distance from the land being a mile and
a half for the first four or five miles, and then gradually much closer, I
acquainted the officers with the object I had now in view, and directed a
vigilant look-out to be constantly kept for any opening in the ice that might
favour our getting to the southward. The wind died away after five P.M.,
and then became extremely variable, shifting in " cat's paws" from one point
to another as quickly as we could trim the sails. At nine P.M. we were
abreast the place where we had landed on the 5th, and here we perceived
that the ice closed in with the land a little to the eastward. There was no
security to be found for the ships without getting past one of the small points
at the mouth of a ravine, against which a floe was setting the smaller pieces
of ice, and had blocked up the passage before we arrived at it. After two hours'
labour in heaving with hawsers, during which the Hecla narrowly escaped a
severe " nip" by the sudden closing of the ice, we succeeded in getting
through, and, soon after midnight, made the ships fast to some very heavy
grounded ice near the beach. We observed a number of hares feeding on the
sides of the cliffs, as we sailed along in the afternoon, and also a few
ptarmigan.
Thur. 17, The place where the Hecla was now secured, being the only one of the kind
which could be found, was a little harbour formed, as usual, by the grounded
ice, some of which was fixed to the bottom in ten to twelve fathoms. One
side of the entrance to this harbour consisted of masses of floes, very regular
in their shape, placed quite horizontally, and broken off" so exactly perpen-
dicular, as to resemble a handsome well-built wharf. On the opposite side,
however, the masses to which we looked for security were themselves rather
terrific objects, as they leaned over so much towards the ship, as to give th€
appearance of their being in the act of falling upon her deck ; and as a veryj|
trifling concussion often produces the fall of much heavier masses of ice^J
when in appearance very firmly fixed to the ground, I gave orders that noa
guns should be fired near the ship during her continuance in this situationsjj
The Griper was of necessity made fast near the beach, in rather an expose*
situation, and her rudder unshipped, in readiness for the ice coming in ; itj
remained quiet, however, though quite close, during the day, the weather
being calm and fine. The latitude observed here was 74° 24' 50", the longi-^
tude 112° 38' 55", and the variation of the magnetic needle 111° 19' 15l
easterly.
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 253
The weather became foggy at night; the young ice, which had, for several 1820.
evenings past, begun to form upon the surface of the sea, as the sun became v.^^-^'
low, did not thaw during the whole of this day. Mr. Fisher was again
successful in his sporting excursion, bringing in nine hares, the greater part
of which were still beautifully white ; about a dozen young ptarmigan were
also killed in each ship. The vegetation in this neighbourhood was much the
same as in our last station ; the sorrel had now become too insipid to be at
all palatable.
On the 18th the weather was alternately clear and cloudy, with a slight air Frid. 18.
of wind from the S.W. The ice continued close to the land as far as we
could see in both directions, and without the smallest perceptible motion till
the evening, when it slackened a little along the shore. I immediately
despatched Mr. Nias to Cape Providence, which was still two miles and a half
to the eastward of us, to examine the appearance of the ice beyond it. He
reported, on his return, that it was slack at the distance of two hundred yards
from the shore, as far as the Cape, but that to the eastward there was no
appearance of clear water. As there was not the smallest security for the
ships for the next three or four miles along the shore, it was necessary still
to continue in our present place of refuge.
It was again nearly calm on the 19th, and the weather was foggy for some Sat. 19.
hours in the morning. In the evening, having walked to Cape Providence,
to see if there was any possibility of moving the ships, I found the ice so
close that a boat could not have passed beyond the Cape ; but a light air
drifting the ice slowly to the eastward at this time, gave me some hopes of
soon being enabled to make our escape from this tedious as well as vexatious
confinement. At a quarter past eight it was high-water by the shore ; about
this time the ice ceased driving to the eastward, and shortly after returned in
the opposite direction. This coincidence, if it be only such, seemed in some
degree to confirm what I had hitherto considered to be the case with respect
to the flood-tide coming from the westward upon this coast; but it may,
perhaps, have been occasioned only by the usual superficial current, as a light
air sprung up from the eastward about that time.
At half-past eleven P.M., some heavy pieces of the grounded ice, to which
our bow-hawser was secured, fell off into the water, snapping the rope in
two, without injuring the ship. As, however, every alteration of this kind
must materially change the centre of gravity of the whole mass, which already
appeared in a tottering state, I thought it prudent to move the Hecla out of
254. VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
her harbour to the place where the Griper was lying, considering that a ship
might easily be forced on shore by the ice without suffering any serious
damage ; but that one of those enormous masses falling upon her deck must
inevitably crush or sink her.
Sun. 20. The weather being again calm on the 20th and 21st allowed the " young
ice" to form upon the surface to such a degree as firmly to cement together
the loose pieces which hung about the ships ; and it did not thaw during those
days, though the sun was shining clearly upon it for several hours. Although
this alone was sufficient to deter me from moving the ships, without a fresh
breeze of wind, I was anxious to know the state of the ice to the eastward,
and I, therefore, sent Mr. Nias to the Cape on the evening of the 21st, to
examine it with a glass. On his return he acquainted me that no alteration
had taken place, the whole body of the ice remaining still close in with the
shore, and perfectly compact and impenetrable to the eastward, as well as to
the south.
Tues. 22. On the 22d, the ice still remained as close as before, more so indeed as,
on the failure of a light breeze which had been blowing from the westward
for an hour or two^ and had amused us with hopes of getting away, the loose
ice surrounded us completely, so that we were immoveably beset. Calm
weather is observed always to make ice open out, and occupy more space
than it had done before, as if the previous breeze had been acting on art
elastic substance, which springs back as soon as the force of the wind is re-
moved from it.
Wed. 23. The " young ice" had increased to the thickness of an inch and a half on
the morning of the 23d, and some snow which had fallen in the night served
to cement the whole more firaily together. On a breeze springing up from
the westward, however, it soon began to acquire a motion to leeward,
and, at half an hour before noon, had slackened about the ships suf-
ficiently to allow us to warp them out, which was accordingly done, and
all sail made upon them. The wind having freshened up from the W.N.W.,
the ships' heads were got the right way, and by great attention to the
sails, kept so till they had got abreast of Cape Providence, after which
they Avere no longer manageable, the ice being more close than before. I
have before remarked that the loose ice in this neighbourhood was heavy
in proportion to the floes from which it had been broken; and the im-
possibility of sailing among such ice, most of which drew more water than
the Hecla, and could not therefore be turned by her Aveight, was this day
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 255
rendered very apparent, the ships having received by far the heaviest shocks 1820.
which they experienced during the voyage. They continued, however, to ^^li^,"
drive till they were about three miles to the eastward of Cape Providence,
where the low land commences ; when finding that there was not any
appearance of open water to the eastward or southward, and that we were
now incurring the risk of being beset at sea, without a chance of making any
farther progress, we hauled in for the largest piece of grounded ice we could
see upon the beach, which we reached at six P.M., having performed six miles
of the most difficult navigation I have ever known among ice. The Hecla
was made fast in from eighteen to twenty feet water close to the beach, and
the Griper in four fathoms, about half a mile to the westward of us.
The situation in which the ships were now placed, when viewed in com-
bination with the shortness of the remaining part of the season, and the
period to which our resources of every kind could be extended, was such as
to require a more than ordinary consideration, in order to determine upon
the measures most proper to be pursued, for the advancement of the public
service and the security of the ships and people committed to my charge.
Judging from the close of the summer of 1819, it was reasonable to consider
the 7th of September as the limit beyond which the navigation of this part of
the Polar Sea could not be performed, with tolerable safety to the ships, or
with any hope of further success. Impressed, however, with a strong sense
of the efforts which it became us to make in the prosecution of our enterprise,
I was induced to extend this limit to the 14th of September, before which
day, on the preceding year, the winter might fairly be said to have set in.
But even with this extension our prospect was not very encouraging : the
direct distance to Icy Cape was between eight and nine hundred miles,
while that which we had advanced towards it this season, fell short of sixty
miles.
I have already detailed the reasons which inclined me to believe, that
there was little hope of making further progress to the westward in this
latitude, and the grounds upon which I had determined to run along the edge
of the ice to the eastward. Such, however, was the extreme difficulty with
which we were enabled to navigate the ships in this, or any other, direction,
that it had for many days been equally out of our power to effect this
object. Indeed, we had experienced, during the first half of the navigable sea-
son, such a continued series of vexations, disappointments and delays, accom-
panied by such a constant state of danger to the ships, that I felt it would
256 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1820. no longer be deemed justifiable in me to persevere in a fruitless attempt to get
^^1^ to the westward.
By Mr. Hooper's report of the remains of provisions, it appeared that, at
the present reduced allowance, (namely, two-thirds of the established pro-
portion for the navy), they would last until the 30th of November, 1821 ; and
that an immediate reduction to half allowance, which must, however, tend
materially to impair the health and vigour of the officers and men, would only
extend our resources till the 30th of April, 1822; it therefore became a
matter of evident and imperious necessity, that the ships should be cleared
from the ice before the close of the season of 1821, so as to reach some
station where supplies might be obtained by the end of that, or early in the
following, year.
By the same report, it appeared that the fuel, with which we were fur-
nished, could only be made to extend to a period of tw^o years and seven
months, or to the end of November, 1821 ; and this only by resorting to the
unhealthy measure of both crews' living on board the Hecla, during six of the
ensuing winter months. The above calculation was made according to the
proportion of fuel hitherto consumed on board each ship, varying at dif-
ferent periods of the year, from one and a half to three bushels of coal
per day, — a quantity which, far from affording the officers and men com-
fort in so rigorous a climate, was found barely sufficient to preserve their
health.
The ships might be considered almost as effective as when the Expedition
left England ; the wear and tear having been trifling, and the quantity of
stores remaining on board being amply sufficient, in all probability, for a
much longer period than the provisions and fuel. The health of the officers
and men continued also as good, or nearly so, as at the commencement of the
voyage. Considering, however, the serious loss we had sustained in the
lemon-juice, the only effectual anti-scorbutic on which we could depend,
during at least nine months of the year in these regions, as well as the effects
likely to result from crowding nearly one hundred persons into the accom-
modation intended only for fifty-eight, whereby the difficulty of keeping the
inhabited parts of the ship in a dry and wholesome state would have been
so much increased, there certainly seemed some reason to apprehend, that a
second winter would not leave us in possession of the same excellent health
which we now happily enjoyed, while it is possible that the difficulty and
danger of either proceeding or returning might have been increased.
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 257
'fhese considerations, together with some others of minor importance, in- 1820.
duced me, at this time, to call for the opinions of the principal officers of the Ji^IiL''
Expedition, being desirous of profiting by their united judgment and expe-
rience, previous to forming my ultimate decision as to the measures most
proper to be pursued. I, therefore, addressed a letter to Lieutenants Liddon,
Beechey, and Hoppner, Captain Sabine, and Messrs. Edwards and Hooper,
respectively, directing their attention to the diflPerent points connected with
our situation which I have just detailed, and requesting their advice upon the
subject within thirty-six hours after the receipt of my letter.
Early in the morning of the 24th, the wind shifted to north, and soon after Thur. 24.
increased to a fresh breeze, which made the ice stream off the land, but so slowly,
that it was not till ten A.M., that we had a channel wide enough to move the
ships to a point a mile and a half to the eastward, which we reached by short
tacks at noon ; and, beyond which, as well as to the south and west, nothing but
ice could be seen. So quickly, indeed, was the narrow channel closed, in which
we had been sailing, that when we made fast to the ice at the point, it would
have been impossible to have returned even to the spot we had just before left.
A herd of musk-oxen being seen at a little distance from the ships, a party
was despatched in pursuit ; and Messrs. Fisher and Bushnan were fortunate
in killing a fine bull, which separated from the rest of the herd, being too
unwieldy to make such good way as the others. He was, however, by no
means caught by our people in fair chase, for though these animals run with
a hobbling sort of canter that makes them appear as if every now and
then about to fall, yet the slowest of them can far outstrip a man. In
this herd were two calves, much whiter than the rest, the older ones having
only the white saddle. In the evening, Serjeant Martin succeeded in killing
another bull ; these two animals afforded a very welcome supply of fresh meat,
the first giving us three hundred and sixty-nine, and the other three hundred
and fifty-two pounds of beef, which was served in the same manner as before.*
* The total quantity of game obtained for the use of the Expedition, during our stay upon
the shores of Melville Island, being a pei-iod of nearly twelve months, was as follows :
3 Musk-oxen ---..'
24 Deer - -
68 Hares - -
53 Geese - -
59 Ducks -
144 Ptarmigans
Affording 3,766 pounds of meat.
258 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1820. The wind died away soon after we reached the point, affording no hope of
v^4^ making, for the present, any further progress by the drifting of the ice from the
land; we, therefore, hauled the ships into the best births we could find, in
doing which the Hecla's fore-foot rested on the ground for a short time,
but she was afterwards secured in four fathoms. It was low water by the
shore at eight P.M.
Frid. 25. The ice closed in upon us in the course of the night, leaving not a single
pool of open water in sight in any direction. It was high- water at half-past
two A.M., and low-water at three-quarters past eight, so that the tides appeared
to continue very regular on this part of the coast. The Griper, being very near
the beach, grounded as the tide fell, so that the water left her between two
and three feet ; Lieutenant Liddon, therefore, warped out nearer to the Hecla
in the afternoon, for fear of not getting off when it might be necessary.
Immediately under the hills, which here, for the first time, in sailing from
Cape Providence to the eastward, recede about two miles from the sea, was
the most luxuriant pasture-ground we had yet met with on Melville Island.
It consisted of about a dozen acres of short thick grass, intermixed with moss,
which gave it almost the same lively appearance as that of an English mea-
dow. It was covered with the dung and foot-tracks of musk-oxen, of which
twelve or fourteen skulls were picked up near it ; and it was here that the
herd before-mentioned was feeding. When walking over this spot, on which
there were many small ponds of wAter, our surprise in some degree ceased
at the immense distance which these animals must travel in the course of
their annual visits to these dreary and desolate regions ; as such a pasture
affording undisturbed and luxuriant feeding during the summer months, may,
in spite of the general dreary appearance of the island, hold out sufficient
inducement for their annual emigration.
A thermometer in the sun about two P.M. stood at 52° for a short time, the
weather being quite calm and fine. Mr. Fisher tried an experiment on the
specific gravity of a piece of floe-ice found lying on the top of one of the
grounded masses near the beach. Being formed into a cube, whose sides
measured two feet, and put into the sea, at the temperature of 33°, with that
side up which was lying uppermost when first found, three inches and a half
of it remained above the surface ; but when the opposite side was turned up,
only three inches appeared above water. The latitude observed at this station
was 74° 27' 19", the longitude 112° 11' 32", and the variation of the magnetic
needle 114° 34' 45" Easterly.
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 259
We here obtained our last supply of sorrel, the leaves of which had now 1820.
become so shrivelled, as well as insipid, as to be no longer worth gathering. v.^^liL'
We saw no birds here but one or two flocks of king-ducks, a speckled owl,
which was killed, and now and then a solitary glaucous gull.
An air of wind having sprung up from the westward in the evening, the ice
had slackened about us a little by eight P.M., which induced me to cast off
soon after, though with little prospect of making any progress. After two
hours, during which the breeze deserted us, we had gained about three-
quarters of a mile to the eastward, and then made fast to the land-ice to wait
for an opening, which might enable us to proceed.
The wind remained light and variable till five A.M. on the 26th, Avhen a Sat. 26.
westerly breeze began to open the ice a little ; at seven we cast off, and made
all sail to the eastward, through loose but heavy pieces of ice, between which
there seemed sufficient room for the ships to sail. We soon found, however, that
the young ice, which at a distance appeared like open water, had so completely
occupied the space between the heavier masses, that when the ship had
entered it, it was impossible to keep way upon her, or to get her head in the
right direction. Such, indeed, was the difficulty of doing this, that we were
incessantly labouring from eight till half-past eleven, without gaining a single
yard, except what the ship drifted with the ice. Having at length, however,
got out of the scrape into which the young ice had unavoidably brought us,
and the breeze freshening up strong from the westward, all sail was made
along the land, generally within half a mile of the beach, where a channel
of clear water had now opened. In the course of the morning, the Hecla
received some very severe shocks, one of which Ave Avere apprehensive had
damaged the rudder, the ship having run with fresh sternway against a heavy
piece of ice, but fortunately no material injury was sustained.
Soon after noon, the weather became thick, with heavy snoAv, so that Ave
were obliged to run entirely by the lead, on which Ave had every reason con-
fidently to rely, as a safe and sure guide. We kept close along the edge of
the ice, which was quite compact to the southward of us, without the
smallest appearance of an opening to encourage a hope of penetrating in
that direction.
Having noAv received the ansAvers of the officers to my letter addressed to
them on the 23d, and given the matter my most serious and mature considera-
tion, it Avas necessary that I should make up my mind as to the future con-
duct of the Expedition. It Avas gratifying to me to find that the oflRcers
260 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1820. unanimously agreed with me in opinion that any further attempt to penetrate
'^^i^li^" to the westward in our present parallel would be altogether fruitless, and
attended with a considerable loss of time, which might be more usefully
employed. They also agreed with me in thinking, that the plan which I had
adopted, of running back along the edge of the ice to the eastward, in order
to look out for an opening that might lead us towards the American continent,
was, in every respect, the most advisable ; and that, in the event of failing
to find any such opening, after a reasonable time spent in the search, it would
be expedient to return to England rather than to risk the passing another
winter in these seas, without the prospect of attaining any adequate object;
namely, that of being able to start from an advanced station at the com-
mencement of the following season.
Under all the circumstances of the case, therefore, I could not but admit
the propriety of immediately returning to England, should our attempt to pe-
netrate to the southward prove unsuccessful in any part of the navigation
between the position we now occupied and Barrow's Strait ; as it would, in ■
that case, be impossible to make so much progress either to the southward or f;
the westward during the short remainder of the present season, as to bring
the accomplishment of the passage through Behring's Strait within the scopi
of our remaining resources.
At three P.M. we were abreast of Cape Hearne ; and, as we opened th
bay of the Hecla and Griper, the wind, as usual on this part of the coast,*
came directly out from the northward; but as soon as we had stretched over
to Bounty Cape, of which we were abreast at eight P.M., it drew once more
along the land from the westward. We found a large quantity of loose and o<
broken ice off Cape Hearne, and not far from the same place we came to a
floe of young ice, of nearly a mile in length, and about two inches and a half
in thickness, which had undoubtedly been formed this summer, probably in
some of the bays and inlets in the neighbourhood of Bounty Cape. The
distance between the ice and the land increased as we proceeded, and at
midnight the channel appeared to be four or five miles wide, as far as the
darkness of the night would allow of our judging; for we could at this period
scarcely see to read in the cabin at ten o'clock. The snow which fell during
the day was observed, for the first time, to remain upon the land without dis-
solving; thus affording a proof of the temperature of the earth's surface having
again fallen below that of freezing ; and giving notice of the near approach
of another long and dreary winter. One or two fulmar petrels, some tern.
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 261
and numerous flocks of snow-buntings, were seen about the ships in the 1820.
r .lU j August.
course ot the day.
The navigable channel increased so much in breadth, as we ran to the east- Sim. 27.
ward with a fresh and favourable breeze, that at eight A.M., on the morning
of the 27th, when we had advanced beyond the east end of Melville Island,
it was not less than ten miles wide. We kept near the ice, running at such a
distance from it as not to get the ships embayed between the points, which
often occasions a long and useless delay in afterwards beating round them
with a scant wind. A constant look-out was kept from the crow's-nest for an
opening to the southward, but not a single break could be perceived in the
mass of ice which still covered the sea in that direction. We were at noon
in latitude 75° 02' 15", and longitude 105° 14' 20", the soundings being ninety-
four fathoms, on a muddy bottom. Some water brought up from that depth
in Dr. Marcet's bottle was at the temperature of 31°f , that at the surface being
30°, and of the air 31°.
At seven P.M., a fog coming on, we hauled up close to the edge of the ice,
both as a guide to us in sailing during the continuance of the thick weather,
and to avoid passing any opening that might occur in it to the southward. We
were, in the course of the evening, within four or five miles of the same spot
where we had been on the same day, and at the same hour the preceding year;
and by a coincidence perhaps still more remarkable, we were here once more
reduced to the same necessity as before, of steering the ships by one another for
an hour or two ; the Griper keeping the Hecla ahead, and our quarter-master
being directed to keep the Griper right astern, for want of some better mode
of knowing in what direction we were running. The fog froze hard as it 'fell
upon the rigging, making it difficult to handle the ropes in working the ship,
and the night was rather dark for three or four hours.
A fresh breeze continued from the S.W.b.W., with some swell, to which Mon. 28.
we had long been unaccustomed, and which, together with the extreme
thickness of the weather, and the uncertainty of our course, made great
caution necessary in running along the ice. We had for some time been
steering principally by the moon, but when she became obscured, we were
under the necessity of hauling our wind to the northward and westward,
which led us from the ice, till the weather should become more favourable.
The fog began to clear away at half-past five A.M. on the 28th, and imme-
diately after we saw land from N.E.b.E. to N.N.W. The ships' heads were
now put to the S.S.E., in order to take up the ice where we had last seen it,
262 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1820, but at six o'clock, in approaching some heavy detached masses, v>^hich ap-
J^^^' peared to be aground, and therefore made us very cautious with the hand-
leads, we shoaled the water rather more suddenly than usual from thirty-five
to ten, and then to seven, fathoms, and tacked in five and three quarters
at the distance of half a mile to the westward of the grounded ice. There is
certainly no land within two or three leagues of this shoal, on which, how-
ever, I have little doubt, from the appearance of the ice aground upon it,
there is water enough for any ship, and which will probably be at all times
clearly pointed out by the never-failing beacons of these seas. It is cus-
tomary to judge by the tide-mark upon the ice whether it be aground or not,
and by its dimensions whether it may be boldly approached.
Having hauled to the N.N.E., and then gradually more to the eastward, we
deepened our water till no soundings could be obtained with forty fathoms
of line, and then steered again to the S.E., in order to make the main ice.
The impossibility of keeping any thing like an accurate reckoning during the
last night's run, and the difficulty of recognising the land in consequence of
the snow which now almost entirely covered it, left us for some time at a loss
to ascertain our position, till we found ourselves at noon off Cape Cockburn,
our latitude by observation being 74° 58' 28 ". We were now enabled to de-
termine the continuity of the land from that point to Graham Moore's Bay,
which, on its first discovery, we could not exactly ascertain on account of the
distance at which we sailed from it.
The ice to the southward, along which we continued to sail this day, was
composed of floes remarkable for their extraordinary length and continuity,
some of them not having a single break or crack for miles together, though
. their height above the sea was not generally more than tAvelve inches, and
their surface as smooth and even as a bowling-green, forming, in both these
respects, a striking contrast to the ice to which Ave had lately been accustomed
more westerly. The outer edge of these floes, however, for about one
hundred yards, was broken by the sea into innumerable small pieces, remaining
so close that a boat would not penetrate them; a circumstance which I
notice because it prevented my putting into execution a plan I had pro-
posed of making some observations on the variation of the magnetic
needle in this neighbourhood, there being every reason to suppose that
we should have found it to be 180°, or the south point of the needle
turned directly to the North Pole of the earth, about the meridian of 100°
West of Greenwich. The wind being to the southward of west, wliich
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 263
made this shore a lee one, did not allow me to land on Bathurst Island for 1820.
,, . Aiiffust.
this purpose. v-^^^v./
The weather was again so thick with snow in the afternoon, that we were
once more obliged to sail round all the bays in the ice, instead of running
from point to point, in order to leave no part of it unexamined ; and, on its
clearing up in the evening, we found that the ice was leading us to the
northward of Garrett Island, the passage to the southward of it, through
which we had sailed to the westward the preceding year, being now com-
pletely blocked up by floes, which did not appear to have been detached
from the island during this season. We had here occasion to notice, in a
very striking degree, the deception occasioned by snow lying upon the land,
in judging of its distance ; this, indeed, is much more remarkable in these seas
than in any other, when any part of the intermediate space is occupied by floes
of ice, the whiteness of which mingles so imperceptibly with that of the snow
upon the land, that it is impossible, from the total absence of any shadow,
to tell where one ends and the other commences. Such, indeed, was the
illusion this evening, with respect to Garrett Island, which was completely
covered with snow, that, although we were sailing at the distance of only
four or five miles from it, we should scarcely have been aware that any
land was in that direction, had we not previously surveyed these islands, and
been running with the chart before us.
In passing between Garrett and Bathurst Islands, at the distance of five
miles from the former, we could find no bottom with thirty-five to fifty
fathoms of line ; and when its centre bore S.b.W. 5 W. at the same distance,
another island was discovered to the northward, which had not before been
seen, and which I named after my friend and former commander. Captain
Thomas Baker, of the Royal Navy. The eastern part of Bathurst Island was
now observed to extend farther to the N.N.E. than we had before been
enabled to see it, terminating by a point of land, called Cape Capel, out of
respect to the Honourable Captain Thomas Bladen Capel, of the Royal
Navy.
We continued to run along the edge of the ice to the eastward, till half-
past ten P.M., when more land being discovered a-head, of the extent and
position of which we had no previous knowledge, and, the night growing
dark, the ships were hove-to with their heads to the northward and westward,
in which direction there was a space of clear water several miles in extent,
being in ninety fathoms, on a bottom of soft mud.
264 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
Having again got sight of the land at half-past two A.M., on the 29th, we
bore up for it, along the edge of the ice, which completely surrounded
29. Lowther Island, but left us a free passage to the eastward. The land, dis-
covered the preceding evening, proved to be an island, about a mile and a
half in length ; and being rather high, and remarkably bluff in every view,
appeared to have deep water all round it. We were abreast of it at half-
past five, and I named it Browne Island, out of respect to my much-
esteemed friend, Mr. Henry Browne, of Portland-Place. The ice then led
us in a S.E.|E. direction, towards another island, distant from the first three
miles and a half, bearing S. S.E. It Avas named after my friend Dr. Somerville ;
and is low at both ends like Garrett Island. When we first bore up in the
morning, we had indistinctly seen land from N.N.E. to E.N.E., at the dis-
tance of four or five leagues. As we advanced, and the day became more
clear, we found it to extend much farther to the eastward, and afterwards
ascertained that it fonned a part of Cornwallis Island, not before seen. At
six o'clock we made Griffith Island, between which and the ice we found the
navigable channel narrowed in one part to a mile, at which distance from
the shore, we could obtain no soundings with forty to fifty fathoms of line.
The whole of the shore of Griffith Island seemed to be bold, the land being
steep and bluff!, especially towards its south-east end, where the strata,
which appeared to be of sandstone, were observed to dip at a considerable
angle to the S.E.
At half an hour before noon, the weather being alternately thick and clear,
from occasional showers of snow, a deeper bight than usual was perceived in
the ice, which had hitherto been nearly as compact as if it were composed of
a single floe. As I had always entertained an idea, that there was no part
of this sea, in which we were more likely to get to the southward, than im-
mediately to the westward, of Cape Bunny, I was desirous of thoroughly
examining the state of the ice in this neighbourhood, and bore up to the
southward, under all sail for that purpose. After running two or three
miles, however, we were again stopped at twenty minutes past noon ; and
the weather having now cleared up, we perceived that the ice was as compact
as before, except that there was one " hole" of water about a third of a
mile wide just within its margin, but beyond this it was quite close and
impenetrable. We were, therefore, under the necessity of again hauling to
the eastward, along the edge of the floes, which lay in a direction nearly
parallel to the southern shore, and at the distance of seven or eight miles
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 265
from it, being much nearer than we had been able to approach it, only six 1820.
days earlier the preceding season. It is remarkable that we here found a y^^Xj
strong rippling on the surface of the water, in the same place where we had
before noticed it; and, as we could discover nothing like shoal-water, or un-
evenness in the bottom, we concluded it must have been occasioned by some
particular set, or meeting of the tides in this place. The space between us
and Cornwallis Island was entirely free from ice, and Wellington
Channel presented the same broad navigable passage, as on the former
occasion.
The continuity or otherwise, of a large portion of the land now to the south-
ward of us having before remained undetermined, on account of the hazy
weather we had experienced on our passage to the westward, I was glad to
have an opportunity of filling up the deficiencies which had unavoidably been
left in the chart, upon this part of the coast. Immediately to the eastward of
Cunningham Inlet is a bold headland, which formed the extreme of the
land visible in this direction, in 1819, and which now being clearly dis-
tinguished, I named after Major Rennell, a gentleman well known as the
ablest geographer of the age. At the back of Cape Rennell, the land
recedes considerably, forming a large bay, which I called Garnier Bay,
and which, as we did not distinctly see the bottom of it in one part,
may not improbably be found to communicate with Cunningham Inlet, making
the intermediate land, on which Cape Rennell stands, an island. Before night
came on, we had traced the land to the eastward nearly as far as Cape
Clarence ; but being desirous of leaving no part of this coast unexamined, by
running past it in the night, I hove-to at half-past ten, with the ships' heads
to the northward, and found no soundings with a hundred and thirty fathoms
of line. The whole of the land we passed this day was much covered with
snow, and, perhaps, permanently so, as the mean temperature of the at-
mosphere had, for some time past, fallen rather below the freezing
point. If this conclusion be just, it would appear that the present season
was about to close-in somewhat earlier than it had done the preceding
year. A flock of brent-geese, some fulmar petrels, a dovekey, and one or
two ivory gulls, were all the birds seen in the course of this day's run.
To the land along which we had now been sailing, I gave the name of
North Somerset, in honour of my native county; and the northern shore of
Barrow's Strait was called North Devon, after that of Lieutenant Liddon.
At a quarter past three on the morning of the 30th> we bore up to the Wed. 30.
Q66 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1820. eastward, the wind continuing fresh directly down Barrow's Strait, except
^-^' i^^^ ^f*^"" passing Prince Leopold's Islands, where it drew into Prince Regent's
Inlet, and as soon as Ave had passed this, again assumed its former westerly
"direction ; affording a remarkable instance of the manner in which the wind
"is acted upon by the particular position of the land, even at a considerable
distance from it. The islands were incumbered with ice to the distance of
four or five miles all round them, but the Strait was generally as clear and
navigable as any part of the Atlantic.
Having now traced the ice the whole way from the longitude of 114° to
that of 90° without discovering any opening to encourage a hope of pene-
trating it to the southward, I could not entertain the slightest doubt, that
there no longer remained a possibility of effecting our object with the
present resources of the Expedition; and that it was, therefore, my duty to
return to England with the account of our late proceedings, that no time
might be lost in following up the success with which we had been favoured,
should His Majesty's Government consider it expedient to do so. Having
informed the officers and men in both ships of my intentions, I directed the
full allowance of provisions to be, in future, issued, with such a proportion
of fuel as might contribute to their comfort ; a luxury which, on account of
the necessity that existed for the strictest economy in this article, it must be
confessed, we had not often enjoyed since we entered Sir James Lancaster's
Sound. We had been on two-thirds allowance of bread between ten and
eleven months, and on the same reduced proportion of the other species of
provisions, between three and four ; and, although this quantity is scarcely
enough for working men for any length of time, I believe the reduction
of fuel was generally considered by far the greater privation of thetwo.
We ran along the south shore, at the distance of four or five leagues, with
a fresh westerly wind, and fine clear weather; a bay on that coast, a little
to the westward of Cape York, was named after my friend. The Honourable
Mr. Eardley. We noticed a striking similarity in the geological character
of this part of the coast, as far as we could judge at a distance, to that on
the opposite shore of Barrow's Strait, both being remarkable for that but-
tress-like structure, which has before been observed to resemble the woriss
of art, arid which gives this land a magnificent and imposing appearance,
such as it is impossible to describe. The shores wiere covered with ice 'to
the distance of four or five miles, and the first solitary iceberg was seen iri
the course of the afternoon; but the Strait was, in other respects, ^perfectly
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE, S©!?
free from obstruction. At eleven P.M., we were abreast of a bluff and 1820.
remarkable headland, which I named after my much-esteemed friend, ^^1^
Mr. William Petrie Craufurd, and to the eastward of which the land appeared
to recede, forming a large bay. I continued to run during the night, how-
ever, being desirous of taking advantage of the westerly breeze Avhich was
still blowing, to run out of Sir James Lancaster's Sound.
It was not light enough till half past three on the morning of the 31st, to Thui. 31.
enable us to perceive that the land immediately to the eastward of Cape
Craufurd was not continuous, there being a space subtending an angle of
21° 42' in the middle of the supposed bay, where none was visible, though
the weather was perfectly clear. As the wind drew almost directly out of
this opening, to which I gave the name of Admiralty Inlet, and, as it was
entirely occupied by ice, I did not think its further examination of sufficient
importance to detain the Expedition, and therefore continued our course to
the eastward. The headland, which forms the eastern point of the entrance,
I named after The Right Honourable Charles Yorke, late First Lord of the
Admiralty; and to another within the inlet, I gave the name of Cape
Franklin, after my friend. Captain John Franklin, of the Royal Navy,
now employed in investigating the northern shore of North America. On
an inspection of the chart, it will appear more than probable, that
the Admiralty Inlet may one day be found to communicate to the south-
ward with Prince Regent's Inlet, making the land bet^jreen them an island.
At half-past eight A.M., we were abreast of the Navy -Board Inlet, round
the bottom of which the continuity of the land was still by no means
clear to us ; in fact, it receded so far to the southward, as rather to
strengthen the opinion we had before formed of the existence of a pas-
sage in that direction; the quantity of ice which occupied this inlet,
however, prevented our ascertaining this satisfactorily. Immediately off
Cape Castlereagh, we discovered two low islands, which had not been
seen on the preceding voyage, and which I named after Dr. William
WoLLASTON, a gentleman well known in the scientific world, and one of the
Commissioners of Longitude. To the eastward of the Cape, there is
some comparatively low land next the sea, from which abruptly rise
the lofty Byam Martin Mountains, whose summits are covered with per-
petual snow. One of the highest of these, immediately at the back of
Catherine's Bay, of which we were abreast at noon, was found trigonometrl-
cally to be three thousand three hundred and eighty-two feet above the level
268 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1820. of the sea. It may be remarked that the castellated appearance of the land
August, jg yery much less on the eastern than on the Avestern side of Admiralty
Inlet. Towards the west side of Navy -Board Inlet, the land next the sea be-
comes comparatively low, but rises at the back into high hills, which are round
at the top ; in this respect forming a striking contrast with the Martin Moun-
tains, the latter being peaked, though not so sharply as those of Spitzbergen.
Our horizon being obstructed at noon by the closeness of the land, I was
desirous of going on shore to observe the meridian altitude ; but, on hauling
the ships to the wind with that intention, I found the beach so lined with ice
for about half a mile out, that it was no where practicable to land, and the
ice itself was too unsteady for the artificial horizons ; we, therefore, con-
tinued to run to the eastward. A large bear was seen swimming, and our
boats despatched in pursuit of him ; but before the ship could be rounded
to, we had run too far to keep sight of him, and the boats returned without
success. We here passed several large icebergs, and a few narrow streams
of ice, of the same thickness as that which usually occurs in Baffin's Bay,
and which appeared very light to us, in comparison with that to which we
had lately been accustomed. Being off Cape Liverpool, which headland is
formed by a projecting point of the same comparatively low land that I have
mentioned above, the water became of a very light-green colour, and was filled
with innumerable shoals of the Argonauta Arctica ; we found no bottom with
eighty fathoms of line, at the distance of two or three miles from the shore.
In the course of this day's run we saw two threshers, one black whale, a
seal, some dovekeys, ivory-gulls, phalaropes, and fulmar-petrels. Considering
the extraordinary number of whales we had met with in our passage up Sir
James Lancaster's Sound in 1819, it could not but be a matter of surprise to
us that we had now seen so few ; but this circumstance was afterwards satis-
factorily accounted for in a manner we least expected. In the evening, being
off Cape Fanshawe, we observed a long low iceberg, between that headland
and Possession Bay, not less than three-quarters of a mile in length, and
quite flat and even at the top ; this kind of iceberg appears to be almost
entirely confined to the western coast of Baffin's Bay and Davis' Strait, as we
never met with them in any other part ; they are probably formed upon the
low strips of land which occur between the foot of the hills and the sea in
many parts of this coast.
As it appeared to me that considerable service might be rendered by a
general survey of the western coast of Baffin's Bay, which, from Sir James
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE.
269
Lancaster's Sound southwards, might one day become an impoitant station i820.
for our whalers, I determined to keep as close to that shore, during our pas- ^^S^'
sage down, as the ice and the wind would permit ; and as the experience of
the former voyage had led us to suppose that this coast would be almost clear
of ice during the whole of September, I thought that this month could not
be better employed than in the examination of its numerous bays and inlets.
Such an examination appeared to me the more desirable, from the hope of
finding some new outlet into the Polar Sea in a lower latitude than that of
Sir James Lancaster's Sound, a discovery which would be of infinite impor-
tance towards the accomplishment of the North-West Passage.
Previously to commencing this survey, it was my wish to have landed at
Possession Bay, of which the longitude had been accurately determined on two
fonner occasions, in order to compare our chronometers with the time found
there, as an intermediate station between Winter Harbour and England ; but,
as this would have detained us a whole night, with a fair wind, and with the
chance of the following day being after all unfavourable for observations, I
gave up my intention, and made all sail along shore to the southward.
This was, however, the less to be regretted, as the few observations obtained
during our quick return from Melville Island, had confirmed the accuracy of
the rates assigned to the chronometers on leaving Winter Harbour.
Annexed is an abstract of the Meteorological Observations made on board
the ships during the twelve calendar months that the Expedition remained
between the parallels of 74° and 75° north latitude.
ABSTRACT of the METEOROLOGICAL JOURNAL kept on board His Majesty's Ship Hecla, for Twelve
Calendar Months ; during which period, she was between the parallels of 74° and 75° North Latitude.
Moathe.
Temperature of Air in Shade.
Barometer.
REMARKS.
Maxi-
Hini-
R.,e.
Mean.
M.ixi-
Mioi-
Mean.
1819. September .
October . . .
November .
December .
1820. January . .
February . .
March . . .
April ....
Rlay
June' ....
July : . . . .
August . . .
0
+ 37
+ 17.5
+ 6
+ 6
- 2
-17
+ C
+ 32
^47
+ .51
1-60
+45
0
- 1
-28
-47
-43
-47
-50
-40
-32
- 4
+ 28
+ 32
+ 22
38
45.5
53
49
45
33
46
61
51
23
28
23
+ 22°.54
- 3.46
-20.60
-21.79
-30.0!)
-32.19
-18.10
- 8.37
+ 16.6(1
+ 36.24
+ 42.41
+ 32.68
iiicbef.
30.42
30.32
30.32
30.755
30.77
30.15
30.26
30.86
30.48
30.13
30.01
30.03
inches-
29.36
29.10
29.63
29.10
29.59
29.32
29.00
29.40
29.25
29.50
29.13
29.46
inclici.
29.905
29.81
29.945
29.865
30.078
29.769
29.803
29.978
30.109
29.823
29.668
29.734
The thermometer when placed on shore,
or on the ice at a distance from the ship, in-
variably stood from 3° to 4° or 5", and even,
on some occasioDS,7°lower than tliat regis-
tered on board : the mean temperature for
the year may therefore be tairly consi-
dered as - 2°. The lowest temperature,
registered on the ice, was - 55°; it did not
rise above — 54o, for seventeen hours, on the
14th and 15th of February, 1820.
+ 60
-50
110
+ 1.33
30.86
29.00
29.874
ABSTRACT of the METEOROLOGICAL JOURNAL kept on board His Majesty's Ship Hecla,
at Sea, during the Month of August, 1820.
I
Day
Temp
eratureof Air
n shade.
Barometer.
Prevailing Winds.
Prevailing Weather.
Maxi-
Mioi-
Mean.
Maxi.
Mini.
Mean.
1
+
42*
+
+ 32
+
36.21
inches.
29.83
inches.
29.69
inches.
29.767
W.N.W.
Fresh breezes and cloudy weather.
2
38
32
34.17
29.84
29.70
29.793
s.s.w.
Light breezes and cloudy, snow at times.
3
39
33
35.92
29.70
29.57
29.647
Round the compass.
Light breezes, thick hazy weather.
4
38.5
33
35.62
29.69
29.65
29.673
N.W.b.W.
Fresh breezes and fine.
5
41
30.5
34.08
29.79
29.69
29.737
W.b.N.
light airs and cloudy.
6
36
33
33.96
29.76
29.59
29.672
E.S.E.
Fresh breezes and hazy, sleet and snow.
7
38
31
34.92
29.62
29.56
29.595
Round the compass.
Fresh breezes and fine, occasional squalls.
8
39
33
36.46
29.64
29.60
29.618
Ditto.
Light variable airs, cloudy vpith rain.
9
40
31
34.79
29.60
29.46
29.513
West.
Light variable airs — hazy.
10
34
30
31.96
29.60
29.54
29.575
W.b.N.
Moderate and hazy, small snow.
11
33
30
31.29
29.64
29.53
29.592
E.S.E.
Light breezes and foggy, snow at times.
12
38
30.6
34.29
29.70
29.48
29.542
E.N.E.
Strong breezes and squally weather.
13
45
31
36.92
29.87
29.76
29.828
Round the compass.
Light breezes and cloudy.
14
38
27
33.22
29.81
29.71
29.762
West.
Light airs and hazy.
15
37
29
32.33
29.85
29.76
29.805
W.N.W.
Moderate and hazy, with snow.
16
34
29
32.42
30.01
29.83
29.948
W.N.W.
Moderate and fine.
17
36
28
31.83
30.03
29.96
30.007
W.S.W.
Light airs, and fine clear weather.
IS
36
30
33.08
29.90
29.79
29.843
Calm.
Cloudy.
19
40
28
33.96
29.87
29.79
29.820
West.
Light breezes and cloudy.
20
36
27
31.67
29.91
29.85
29.888
West.
Light breezes, fijggy, and cloudy.
21
37
26
30.92
29.84
29.69
29.757
< A.M. Calm. I
I P.M. East. 5
Light breezes and foggy, with snow.
22
37.5
29
31.79
29.69
29.64
29.667
West.
Light airs and hazy, snow.
23
35
30
31.58
29.79
29.71
29.745
West.
Moderate and cloudy.
24
34
30
31.79
29.83
29.71
29.79J
North.
Light airs and cloudy.
25
38
27
32.29
29.85
29.83
29.842
Round the compass.
Ditto ditto.
26
34
25.5
28.92
29.81
29.63
29.737
N.N.W.
Fresh breezes and cloudy.
27
31
22.5
27.83
29.92
29.72
29.848
i A.M. North. >
I P.M. West. $
Light breezes and cloudy.
28
31
22
28.12
29.86
29.72
29.783
W.S.W.
Fresh breezes and hazy.
29
30
28
29.00
29.66
29.61
29.645
N.W.b.W.
Moderate and hazy.
30
33
28
30.00
30.00
29.62
29.638
N.W.
Moderate and cloudy weather.
31
34
29
31.75
29.75
29.63
29.678
W.S.W.
Fresh breezes and cloudy weather.
+ 45
+ 22
+ 32.68
30.03
29.46
29.734
■*SPKRf
VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY. 271
CHAPTER XL
PROGRESS DOWN THE WESTERN COAST OP BAFFIn's BAY MEET WITH THE
WHALERS — ACCOUNT OP SOME ESQUIMAUX IN THE INLET CALLED THE
RIVER CLYDE — CONTINUE THE SURVEY OF THE COAST, TILL STOPPED BY
ICE IN THE LATITUDE OF 68|° OBLIGED TO RUN TO THE EASTWARD
FRUITLESS ATTEMPTS TO REGAIN THE LAND, AND FINAL DEPARTURE
PROM THE ICE REMARKS UPON THE PROBABLE EXISTENCE AND PRACTI-
CABILITY OP A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE, AND UPON THE WHALE-FISHERY
BOISTEROUS WEATHER IN CROSSING THE ATLANTIC LOSS OP THE
HECLA's BOWSPRIT AND FOREMAST ARRIVAL IN ENGLAND.
1 HE wind continuing fresh from the northward, on the morning of the 1st
of September, we bore up and ran along the land, taking our departure from
the flag-staff in Possession Bay, bearingW.S.W. five miles, at half-past four A.M.
Having passed two small bays in the course of the morning, we were abreast
of Cape Graham Moore towards noon, where the ice led us off to the distance
of six or seven miles from the land. Some water brought up in D.r. Marcet's
bottle from the depth of one hundred and ten fathoms was at the temperature
of 30i°, that of the surface being 301°, and of the air 31°. The specific gravity
of the surface-water at noon was 1.0246, at the temperature of 49°.
When abreast of the inlet, which had been called Pond's Bay on the
former expedition, the opening of the two shores, as far as the eye could
reach, appeared so large as to excite considerable interest. We, therefore,
hauled in with the intention of examining it, but found the ice so close, that
the ship was stopped almost in the entrance. The weather, however, was
at this time remarkably clear, and it was the opinion of the officers, as well , i
as my own, that the two shores did not unite, there being nearly a whole ; - |
point of the compass in which no land was visible ; and it was the general ! ■=
belief that this opening would be found to communicate with the Navy-Board
MriAdmiralty Inlet.
•-
I
IMH
^^ '-I zl.
VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY. '^1
CHAPTER XI.
PROGRESS DOWN THE WESTERN COAST OF BAFPIn's BAY MEET WITH THE
WHALERS — ACCOUNT OF SOME ESQUIMAUX IN THE INLET CALLED THE
RIVER CLYDE — CONTINUE THE SURVEY OF THE COAST, TILL STOPPED BY
ICE IN THE LATITUDE OF 68|° OBLIGED TO RUN TO THE EASTWARD
■ — FRUITLESS ATTEMPTS TO REGAIN THE LAND, AND FINAL DEPARTURE
FROM THE ICE REMARKS UPON THE PROBABLE EXISTENCE AND PRACTI-
CABILITY OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE, AND UPON THE WHALE-FISHERY
BOISTEROUS WEATHER IN CROSSING THE ATLANTIC LOSS OP THE
HECLA's BOWSPRIT AND FOREMAST ARRIVAL IN ENGLAND.
1 HE wind continuing fresh from the northward, on the morning of the 1st
of September, we bore up and ran along the land, taking our departure from
the flag-stafFin Possession Bay, bearing W.S.W. five miles, at half-past four A.M.
Having passed two small bays in the course of the morning, we were abreast
of Cape Graham Moore towards noon, where the ice led us off to the distance
of six or seven miles from the land. Some water brought up in D.r. Marcet's
bottle from the depth of one hundred and ten fathoms was at the temperature
of 30i°, that of the surface being 30|°, and of the air 31°. The specific gravity
of the surface-water at noon was 1.0246, at the temperature of 49°.
When abreast of the inlet, which had been called Pond's Bay on the
former expedition, the opening of the two shores, as far as the eye could
reach, appeared so large as to excite considerable interest. We, therefore,
• hauled in with the intention of examining it, but found the ice so close, that
the ship was stopped almost in the entrance. The weather, however, was
at this time remarkably clear, and it was the opinion of the officers, as well
as my own, that the two shores did not unite, there being nearly a whole
point of the compass in which no land was visible ; and it was the general
belief that this opening would be found to communicate with the Navy-Board
or -Admiralty Inlet.
umaLLr-- r^
272 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY
1820. The ice led us off very much to the eastward after leaving Pond's Bay; and
y^J^ the weather became calm, with small snow, towards midnight. In this day's
run, the compass-courses were occasionally inserted in the log-book, being
the first time that the magnetic needle had been made use of on board the
Hecla, for the purposes of navigation, for more than twelvemonths. A few
rotges C-Alca AlleJ were seen, being the first this season.
Sat. 2. There being some swell upon the ice, which extended generally to the
distance of three or four leagues from the land, we were under the necessity
of heaving-to for a few hours at night, a precaution which was always hence-
forward adopted in running down this coast. At nine A.M., we were abreast
an inlet having every appearance of a well-sheltered harbour, with an island
near the middle of its entrance. Soon after passing this inlet, we came to a
number of icebergs aground in forty-five fathoms, on a sandy bottom, after-
wards deepening to seventy-eight fathoms ; a tide-mark of four or five feet
was observed upon each of the icebergs. Some water brought up in Dr.
Marcet's bottle from the depth of seventy-five fathoms, was at the tempe-
rature of 32°|, that of the surface being 32°, and of the air 33°. We again
commenced throwing bottles overboard, containing papers with the usual
information, which practice was continued daily till the Expedition reached
England. We saw no ice to the eastward of us in the course of this day's
run, nor any blink in that direction.
Sund. 3. On the morning of the 3d, we passed some of the highest icebergs I have
ever seen, one of them being not less than one hundred and fifty to two hun-
dred feet above the sea, judging from the height of the Griper's masts, when near
it. At half-past seven A.M., being off' a point of land, which is comparatively
low near the sea, with hills rising at the back to the height of more than a
thousand feet above the sea, we observed to the southward a remarkable dark
perpendicular cliffj forming the most singular and conspicuous object we had
seen upon this coast. This cliffj which, in coming from the northward has the
appearance of being detached, and is not unlike the Bass Rock in the Frith
of Forth, is situated, as we afterwards discovered, upon an island, lying in
the entrance of one of the numerous inlets, or fiords, with which this coast is
indented. The wind becoming light and variable in the forenoon, I took
the opportunity of landing near this inlet, accompanied by Captain Sabine,
and some of the other officers. The latitude observed on board at noon
was 71° 24' 20", being only two miles and three quarters to the southward
of the dead reckoning in three days, by which we considered that there
OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 273
could be no current of any importance setting in that direction on this part
of the coast. The soundings were eighty-eight fathoms on a muddy bottom;
the temperature of 
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